Iranian court orders U.S. to pay compensation for backing “terrorist groups”

TEHRAN, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) — An Iranian court ruled on Saturday that the United States must pay 48.86 billion U.S. dollars in compensation to the families of Iranians who were killed while battling “U.S.-backed terrorist groups” in Iraq and Syria.
The ruling was issued by Judge Majid Hosseinzadeh after two sessions of hearing the complaints filed by 700 members of the slain individuals’ families against the U.S. government for its “conspicuous support for terrorist and Takfiri (extremist) groups” at the 55th branch of the Tehran Court of Justice, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
“The plaintiffs have suffered significant material and mental damages and been under great emotional pressures due to the deaths of their loved ones” as a consequence of “the terrorist crimes perpetrated by the scaremongering groups supported by the United States,” said the ruling.
The court identified the terrorist groups as “the Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front,” saying, “They could not perpetrate such crimes in the absence of U.S. cooperation and support.”
Under the ruling, the United States was ordered to pay 10 million dollars to each plaintiff, a total of 6.98 billion dollars, in compensation for the material damages inflicted on them, and 20 million dollars to each, a total of 13.96 billion dollars, in compensation for their suffered mental damages, Fars said.
The court also ruled that the United States should pay 27.92 billion dollars in punitive damages.
According to Fars, the ruling could be appealed against within two months.
Iran has been sending military personnel to Iraq and Syria over the past years to help their governments fight against “terrorist groups.” ■