Iran criticize Canada’s recognition of US courts rulings

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has criticized a Canadian court’s recognition of the US courts’ rulings against the Islamic Republic in absentia, saying the US move runs counter to the international judicial norms.

“Principally, the issuance of a ruling against a foreign country runs counter to the principle of equality of states and is in violation of their immunity under international law,” Bahram Qassemi said on Tuesday, adding, “The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to oppose and follow up on the ruling.”

The Iranian spokesperson emphasized that irrespective of internal power divisions in Canada, the country’s administration would be “directly liable for any possible material and spiritual damage [caused] by various branches of the Canadian government as a result of such measures, which are in contradiction to the international law.”

A Canadian court on Tuesday accused Iran of supporting terrorism, upholding a previous ruling by a US court, which required the Islamic Republic to pay around $1.7 billion in damages to “American victims of terrorism.”

The Court of Appeal for Ontario rejected Iran’s request to reconsider the ruling on Monday night, arguing that doing so would amount to a breach of Canada’s Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (JVTA).

The JVTA allows so-called victims of terrorism to sue foreign states for damages.