Iran Rejects US Court Verdict Holding it Responsible in Terror Bombing

Published July 13th, 2000 - 02:00 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

Iran on Wednesday rejected a US court verdict that held it responsible for a terrorist bombing in Israel that killed two Americans, reported The Associated Press.  

"This court, from an international legal point of view, is not qualified to study this kind of case and the verdict is completely political. The charges against Iran are sheer lies," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said.  

A federal court on Tuesday awarded the parents of Matthew Eisenfeld and Sara Dukera a total of $327 million in damages.  

The two died in a February 25th 1996, bus bombing in Jerusalem that killed 22 others and injured 80.  

The Americans' families had sued Iran under a federal law that allows victims to seek damages from nations that sponsor international terrorism.  

Iran's judiciary also criticized the verdict, saying it will pave the way for lawsuits to be filed against the United States, said the AP.  

Other victims have won similar court judgments, only to be stymied by the US government in their efforts to collect the money. The Clinton administration maintains that frozen assets and diplomatic properties of foreign nations cannot be used to pay off the judgments, said the agency - Albawaba.com 

© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

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