The Iranian Foreign Ministry has issued a second official notification to the US administration, demanding arbitration over the killing of Iran’s top anti-terror commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
Tavakkol Habibzadeh, the head of the Iranian President’s Legal and International Affairs Center, made the revelation on Monday, stating that the second notice was composed and delivered after the US failed to react to the previous one on conducting talks, according to Press TV.
Last month, an Iranian court ordered the US government and other individuals and entities to pay a total of $49.77 billion in damages to claimants in a case related to the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani by the US in January 2020.
The notification requesting arbitration was drafted in accordance with the Protection of Diplomats Convention, a 1973 United Nations anti-terrorism pact aimed at preventing and punishing crimes against internationally protected individuals, including diplomatic agents.
According to Article 13 of the convention, the first notice seeking negotiation is delivered to the opposing party, and if it does not answer, the second letter requesting arbitration is issued.
If the US does not respond within 6 months, the third step is to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice, Habibzadeh explained.
The US administration has until the end of April to react to the first arbitration demand issued a month and a half ago.
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon