The International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled on Wednesday that unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States against Iran should not have a negative impact on trade in essential goods such as medicines and medical equipment, agricultural products and foodstuffs, or civil aviation safety.
Iran, citing the Treaty of Amity signed on August 15, 1955 in Tehran between the United States and the Government of Imperial Iran, filed a complaint against America at the Hague court and sought to lift the sanctions.
However, following the International Court of Justice’s ruling, the U.S. Secretary of State announced that the country would withdraw from the Treaty of Amity with Iran.
According to Mike Pompeo, “Iran has used the Treaty of Amity as a tool to attack America” and Iran’s lawsuit at the Hague Court was essentially “baseless.”
Mr. Pompeo then, calling Wednesday’s court decision in Tehran’s favor “invalidated,” said: “Given Iran’s track record in supporting terrorism, ballistic missile activities and other destructive activities, this country’s recourse to the Treaty of Amity is ridiculous.”
He also stated: “We are disappointed that the court could not rule that it has no jurisdiction over U.S. sanctions, because America’s actions against Iran are in line with protecting its vital national security interests.”
These remarks prompted a response from Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who said: “Mr. Pompeo is advised that instead of expressing regret over the Hague court’s ruling, he should be regretful of the unreasonable actions of the American government toward the Iranian people and the unjust sanctions it has imposed against them.”
Bahram Qassemi continued: “It appears that Americans are very angry that the court has asserted its jurisdiction and issued a provisional measure against this country’s unilateral sanctions against Iran. Americans in this framework have targeted two issues. Some of them say that the International Court of Justice in The Hague had no jurisdiction to review this case and the complaint, and others are trying to downplay the gains achieved for Iran.”
Mr. Qassemi’s remarks could be a reference to statements by Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, who, while condemning the Hague court’s ruling, said the court was not prepared to confirm Iran’s request to lift all sanctions, and the ruling only covers very limited cases.
Mike Pompeo also described the Hague court’s ruling as “a defeat for Iran,” saying that “in fact, this court rejected all of Iran’s baseless requests.”
He stated that America will seek to provide humanitarian aid to the Iranian people.
