US hits back at Iran in UN court
Iran wants United Nations judges to order the US to suspend newly reintroduced sanctions against it
The Hague — The US told UN judges on Tuesday that they have no jurisdiction to rule on Tehran’s demand for them to order the suspension of debilitating nuclear-related sanctions against Iran. Washington cited security concerns in its first legal response to a suit by Iran, which is suffering increasing economic chaos. Iran has argued that US President Donald Trump breached a 1955 treaty with his decision to reimpose the sanctions after withdrawing from a multilateral nuclear accord. But US state department lawyer Jennifer Newstead told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague that it “lacks prima facie jurisdiction to hear Iran’s claims”. She argued that the US has the right to protect its national security and other interests. The treaty “cannot therefore provide a basis for this court’s jurisdiction” in the case, she said. Sanctions on Iran were lifted under a 2015 accord with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. In return, Tehran made c...
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