TEHRAN - Appearing on TV on Saturday, President Ebrahim Raisi’s legal deputy announced Iran will soon take legal action against the U.S. for the assassination of Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

Mohammad Dehghan called the case “one of the most important cases” that the legal team of the president is in charge of. 
“The administration was hindered in the beginning days of taking office due to a difference in opinions. We could not reach a consensus on how we should take legal action. But after the views of several international lawyers were taken into consideration, we were finally able to deal with the issue with much professionalism,” said the presidential aide for legal affairs. 
Dehghan said the government will soon start following up on the case and launch a lawsuit against the United States. “In the coming days, we will send the U.S. a notice. After providing six months’ time for arbitration, according to the regulations of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), we will ask them to join us in order to reach a private dispute resolution. If they do not respond, Iran will register its lawsuit in the case of the assassination of Martyr Soleimani in the International Court of Justice in the upcoming spring”. 

Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC Quds Force, spearheaded Iran’s fight against terrorist groups, including Daesh in the 2010s. Regarded as an anti-terror icon, Gen. Soleimani was assassinated during a U.S. drone attack in Baghdad in January 2020.  

Dehghan added that in a potential legal dispute between Iran and the United States regarding the assassination, the situation would be in Iran’s favor. The legal advisor added Iran was able to win a case against the U.S. earlier this year regarding Washington’s illegal seizure of some of Iran’s properties. 

Washington has seized almost $2 billion of Iran's assets and has illegally awarded them in various cases in recent years. One of the most infamous anti-Iran campaigners, Masih Alinejad, won $3.3 million in “damages” in July. 
According to Dehghan, Tehran has also brought the U.S. to the court for its illegal sanctions against Iranians. “We have turned in hundreds of documents to show the toll of U.S. sanctions on various sectors. Washington has three months left to turn in a defense statement. After that the hearing will probably take place in spring of next year and the verdict will be out by the end of the next Iranian calendar year,” explained the legal deputy. 

The next Iranian year will start on March 21, 2014.

MHA/PA