ICJ to Issue Verdict on U.S. Attack Against Iran's Oil Decks Soon

October 25, 2003 - 0:0
NEW YORK, United Nations (IRNA) -- The Hague based International Court of Justice (ICJ) will in the first week of November issue its final verdict on U.S. attacks against Iran's oil decks, it was announced here on Wednesday.

The news is based on a communiqué by the International Court of Justice on Wednesday, announcing that Judge Chi Jio Yong will on Thursday, November 6 issue his final verdict on Iran's complaint regarding the 1987 and 1988 U.S. warships' raids that destroyed three of its off shore oil decks.

Judge Yong's verdict would be obligatory and no appeals claim would be possible following its issuance, according to the Hague court's communiqué, published here at the UN Headquarters.

On November 2nd, 1992, the Islamic Republic of Iran filed an official complaint, claiming that the U.S. warships on October 19th, 1987 and April 18th, 1988 fired missiles at three offshore Iranian oil decks that were active at the time of the attacks, destroying them totally.

The United States, too, has filed a complaint, arguing that the said attacks were actually response to Iran's attacks against the U.S. warships, planting mines in the Persian Gulf, and getting involved in "dangerous military operations that were hazardous to the U.S. naval fleet" in 1978 and 1988.

ICJ started surveys regarding Iran's complaint in 1996 and its final verdict on the issue will be announced on November 5.