Iran court demands US pay $22 bn for backing 2022 protests

An Iranian court said it has ordered the United States government to pay more than $22 billion in damages for what it described as support for protesters during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

1news.media informs, citing Iran International, the verdict, announced by Tehran’s civil court, was described by state media as stemming from a lawsuit filed by 607 people said to be families of those killed or injured during the unrest that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.

The court accused Washington of providing “financial and moral backing” to what Iranian officials call “rioters.”

Iran’s judiciary said the US actions violated the country’s sovereignty and international law. The ruling cited several Iranian laws addressing what Tehran terms “terrorist or subversive acts” by the United States.

According to the court, the damages include $5.8 billion in material losses, $11.6 billion for moral damages, and billions more in punitive payments, totaling more than $22 billion.

The judgment is largely symbolic since Iranian court rulings against the United States are not enforceable abroad. Similar verdicts in past years have served as political statements amid strained relations between Tehran and Washington.