TEHRAN, Iran -- Anger is building among even Iran's staunchest defenders of the historic nuclear agreement with the United States after a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court allowing relatives of victims of a 1983 bombing to sue Tehran for $2 billion in compensation from frozen Iranian funds.
On Wednesday, President Hassan Rouhani, widely seen as the executor of the nuclear agreement, lashed out against the United States, calling the ruling a "continuation of hostilities against Iran" and a "flagrant theft and a legal disgrace," the semiofficial Iranian Student News Agency reported.
The court ruled last week that Congress did not exceed its constitutional role by enacting a law in 2012 making it easier for families of those killed in terrorist attacks to obtain compensation. The decision opens a path for more than 1,000 U.S. relatives of Marines killed in the 1983 bombing of their barracks in Beirut, an attack for which Iran has been held responsible.
Iranian officials have repeatedly denied responsibility, however, and they accuse the United States of using the pretext of an attack to steal money that is rightfully theirs.
Rouhani, one of the few Iranian leaders openly committed to restoring relations with the United States, called the Americans "thieves," adding that they "imagine what they have pillaged belongs to themselves."
The disagreement over the Beirut bombing is the latest chapter in a series of misunderstandings that have led to hard feelings since the signing of the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.
Iran was expecting a bonanza in unfrozen funds and new business opportunities after sanctions that had been imposed because of the nuclear program were lifted. But the continued presence of non-nuclear sanctions has slowed the process to a crawl, and foreign banks have been afraid to lend to Iranian companies because of potential penalties imposed by the United States.
So even though Iran has received business delegations from Europe and Asia, it has been unable to sign big deals that might help revive its economy. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told a Jewish lobbying group in Washington that Iran to date had managed to recover only $3 billion of its frozen funds, from a total estimated at $55 billion to $100 billion.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, added to the chorus Wednesday, repeating his contention that the United States was deceitful and not to be trusted. While he had supported the nuclear deal, he always insisted that the United States would try to double-cross Iran.
The continuing financial restrictions are evidence of this, Khamenei hinted in a speech on his website, Khamenei.ir.
"America engages in tricks and practices deceit," he said. "They write on paper that banks can cooperate with Iran, but in practice they promote Iranophobia so that no one trades with Iran."
"American officials say that sanctions are still in place so that foreign investors get scared and do not come," Khamenei said.
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who negotiated the nuclear deal, also strongly criticized the Supreme Court decision.
"We hold the U.S. administration responsible for preservation of Iranian funds, and if they are plundered, we will lodge a complaint with the ICJ for reparation," he said, referring to the International Court of Justice.
A Section on 04/28/2016