Specific details are still waiting for the public announcement from the court, but Iran has reported a substantial legal victory in Luxembourg, where $1.6 billion in Iranian assets had been frozen and is to be freed up by the courts.
This is a long-standing legal battle, and just one of many for Iran’s foreign assets. The US requested Luxembourg and the European Union freeze Iran’s money, and they did so. This current legal battle started over a year ago, and Iran had tried to access the same money, unsuccessfully in 2017.
This isn’t just a Luxembourg issue. Iran has many billions of dollars around the world that they struggle to access, and could need they money in particular to pay for coronavirus supplies during the pandemic. That may be impacting the decisions.
Indeed, the US reportedly had agreed to unfreeze some of Iran’s assets in third-party countries to allow them to buy medical equipment. It’s not clear if this is directly related, but the reports of the US easing the release of some such assets could have played a role either directly or indirectly in the court’s decision.
Translation: Iranian initiative in the proxy war versus the U.S. in Iraq has been bought off. For now.
If so, this is kind of a smart move for both sides and a relief to Iraqis, relative to the stupidity of imperialist great-gaming.
Unfortunately Iraq has been an occupied country since the US illegally invaded Iraq in 2003. And I don’t think they are ever going to leave.
True, but Iranian desire for a close boogieman to justify their grip on power, and Iraqi greed for bribes, is probably more responsible than any extra U.S. effort to stay.
All the Iraqi government has to do is give the U.S. formal written notice to leave. Instead, they offer legislative theatre. If Iran wanted that formal notice given, it would be given.
That said, Iraq is something of a Middle Eastern tar-baby for the U.S.. Even without the Mackindearan geopolitics, U.S. warhawks are as easily prodded as B’rer Rabbit (Uncle Remus stories, 1881) to get entrapped in a fight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar-Baby
Western nations have shown their thievery over many centuries through colonialism. Nothing new!
If the boot was on the other foot the US would be screaming to High Heaven for access to THEIR MONEY.
Iranian assets BELONG to Iran ald only gross greed and inhumanity will try to keep it from them.
It just reinforces the facts of who the real “axis of evil” is in the world and certainly that is NOT Iran.
“the US easing the release of some such assets could have played a role either directly or indirectly in the court’s decision.”
Of course it did, otherwise we’d be telling Luxembourg that “all options are on the table”.
That article Jason cites is from Yahoo. Read the comment section if you want to make yourself ill.
Que the Fox news viewers crying about how Trump admin gave Iran a billion to fund terrorism….
I eagerly await the day when there are other countries powerful enough to impose sanctions on the US and freeze American assets. A taste of their own medicine would be good for them.