Iran is readying to sue the United States in the International Court of Justice over President Donald Trump’s decision to abandon the landmark nuclear deal and reapply tough new sanctions on Tehran, according to officials in Iran’s judiciary.
Laya Joneidi, Iran’s vice president for legal affairs, announced on Monday that Iran will bring charges against the United States and seek an undisclosed amount of monetary damages as a result of America’s "breach of the nuclear deal," according to the country’s state-controlled press.
With Iran’s economy on the ropes as a result of the Trump administration’s sanctions, Tehran is seeking multiple avenues to recoup lost revenue. Iran has won monetary awards in the past for suits brought before the ICJ. The Obama administration sought to settle several pending cases at the court that resulted in Tehran being awarded hard currency.
Iran also has sued the Trump administration in the ICJ over the recent imposition of sanctions, claims the United States has described as "baseless."
Iran is ready to provide the court with documentation about its loss of revenue under the Trump administration sanctions and will argue that the country deserves to be compensated for these losses, according to the latest statements by Iranian officials.
Meanwhile, Iran continues to breach key provisions of the nuclear accord, which remains upheld by multiple Western nations. This includes violations of the amount of nuclear materials it can stockpile in the country as well as revamped work on the advanced enrichment of uranium, the key component in a nuclear weapon.