US Says Iran Misuses Intl Court After Ruling on Assets Took Tehran's Side

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The International Court of Justice’s ruling to permit Iran to proceed with a lawsuit to recover its frozen assets in the United States is an attempt by Tehran to misuse the court, the US Department of State said in a statement.

"Iran must not be permitted to continue to misuse the International Court of Justice’s judicial process for political and propaganda purposes", State Department Deputy Spokesman Robert Palladino said on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the International Court of Justice ruled that Iran's lawsuit against the United States over more than $2 billion in frozen assets was admissible.

READ MORE: UN Court Allows Iran to Proceed With Bid to Recover $1.75 Bln Frozen by US

Palladino said the case is yet another example of how Iran seeks to misuse legal processes and distort principles of international law.

"Iran’s goal is to prevent United States victims of the Iranian regime’s wanton acts of terrorism… from recovering compensation from Iran in US courts", Palladino said.

The US Supreme Court ruled in 2016 that the money frozen by the United States should go to the survivors and families of victims of terrorist attacks attributed to Iran. Tehran claims that this decision violated the 1955 US-Iranian Treaty of Amity.

Washington said last October that it was terminating the treaty after the International Court of Justice ruled the United States breached the agreement by re-imposing sanctions linked to Tehran's nuclear program.

READ MORE: Washington Says UN Court Has No Jurisdiction in Iran Sanctions Challenge