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The American delegation will have 3 hours for responding to US withdrawal from Iran 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposition of sanctions on the country.
The International Court of Justice on Monday began the first hearing session for the lawsuits filed by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the US for the latter’s unilateral withdrawal from the landmark nuclear deal and its accusations pertaining to terrorist cases in the third party countries.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif said on July 16 that Iran has filed a lawsuit with the ICJ for the sanctions Washington imposed on Iran in May.
The US President Donald Trump on May 8 declared that Washington unilaterally pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal which was signed between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Tehran says the measure violates Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations and Consular Rights between the two countries that was signed in 1955.
The treaty comprising of an introduction and 23 articles was signed in Tehran and ratified by the Iranian government of the time. The government was permitted to exchange the related documents, following ratification by the National Consultative Assembly.
Tehran's lawsuits against Washington concern the verdicts that the US courts have issued on the terrorist accusations against Iran being implemented in other countries, as well as the withdrawal and re-imposition of sanctions, said Laya Joneidi, Iranian Deputy President for legal affairs.
If the Hague-based court issues a verdict in favor of Iran, it will be likely that all other courts across the world follow the judgment, the Iranian official said.
However, it is probable that the US courts, despite the ICJ verdict, still pursue their own decision, but in any case, the judgment will bear international implications for Washington.
The International Court of Justice is the main judicial body of the United Nations that settles the disputes between member states according to the international law and gives advisory information on queries referred to it from UN and specialized agencies.
If the ICJ, in case of the unilateral withdrawal, rules in favor of Iran, the country's position will be strengthened, the Iranian deputy president said, since it will be much more difficult for the US to press the companies and countries to stop their cooperation with Tehran.
The ruling will also be a solid legal justification for the companies that fear of doing business with Iran, Joneidi said.
She argued although Iran and the US have had no diplomatic relations over the past 40 years, the 1955 treaty is still valid since neither of the two sides has officially declared any withdrawal from it.
She also noted that the treaty has been cited frequently at Iran–United States Claims Tribunal and the American courts.
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