Iran files case with ICJ against US over re-imposed sanctions

International Desk: Iran has filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to "hold [the] US accountable for its unlawful re-imposition of unilateral sanctions," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter Monday.

"Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of US contempt for diplomacy & legal obligations. It's imperative to counter its habit of violating int'l law," the tweet read.

Zarif did not expand on the claim it would bring before the ICJ, but officials have repeatedly accused the US of imposing illegal sanctions on Iran after pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known colloquially as the Iran nuclear deal, in May.

Under the deal signed in Vienna with six world powers - the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union - Iran scaled back its uranium enrichment programme and promised not to pursue nuclear weapons.

In exchange, international sanctions were lifted, allowing it to sell its oil and gas worldwide. However, secondary US sanctions remained.

Following that withdrawal, the US announced it would re-impose sanctions targeting critical sectors of Iran's economy, such as its energy, petrochemical, and financial sectors.

Last week, Trump said that with the US increasing sanctions on Iran, "at a certain point they're going to call me and say 'let's make a deal,' and we'll make a deal."

Source: Aljazeera
 

risingbd/Dhaka/July 17, 2018/A K Azad