US Resorts to Impractical Ways at World Court

The United States resorted to diversionary tactics at the International Court of Justice during hearings this week for its violation of a decades-old treaty with Iran, says a senior official, who believes Washington is unlikely to respect a potential ruling in Iran's favor.  

"At the court in The Hague, the American side turned to non-technical justifications unrelated to the case and attempted to divert the court's attention instead of providing logical and legal answers," Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told IRNA in an interview on Friday.  On August 27, Iranian lawyers asked the ICJ, which is also known as the World Court, to order the United States to lift sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against Tehran. Washington says the suit lacks merit as does the court.

Iran argues that the new US sanctions, which are undermining its economy, violate the 1955 Treaty of Amity between the two countries -- signed before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and before the sharp deterioration in bilateral ties.  Araqchi said the US representatives tried to exploit the court for their own narrow ends, evaded direct questions and came up with incorrect interpretations of what was stated by the Iranian side.

  Limited Potential

The senior diplomat added that the Americans will most probably show no respect for a potential ruling in Iran's favor as they have in the past ignored rulings at the same court in other cases.

"Though the court's decision is legally binding based on international law, the world’s power and potential to compel the US to abide by the court's ruling is very limited," he concurred. At the beginning of the hearings in The Hague, the court's president asked the United States to respect the outcome of the case that Iran filed in July, according to Reuters.

On August 28, US lawyers urged the ICJ to dismiss the Iranian lawsuit, claiming that its real aim was to restore a 2015 nuclear pact rejected by President Donald Trump. The ICJ is the United Nations tribunal for resolving international disputes. Its rulings are binding, but it has no power to enforce them.  

Araqchi said Iran decided to file a complaint with the World Court to inform world public opinion that Iran's argument is right despite knowing that the US would not honor the court's judgment.  A provisional ruling is expected within a month, though no date has been set.