The International Court of Justice has confirmed Iran's filling of a lawsuit against the United States over its re-imposing sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) made the confirmation on Tuesday, one day after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that it had been requested.
Following the ICJ's announcement, a State Department official claimed that the lawsuit was meritless and that Washington would attempt to counter it in court.
“While we cannot comment on the specifics, Iran's application is baseless and we intend to vigorously defend the United States before the ICJ,” said a State Department spokesperson on condition of anonymity.
On Monday, Zarif tweeted that his country had lodged a complaint with the ICJ over the United States' “unlawful” move to re-impose “unilateral” sanctions against Tehran.
“Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of U.S. contempt for diplomacy and legal obligations,” said.
US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from a nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015.
The US president also said that he planned to reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose “the highest level” of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.
Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.
Since the JCPOA Implementation Day in January 2016, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been monitoring Iran’s compliance with its nuclear-related commitments under the nuclear deal and has consistently verified the Islamic Republic’s compliance.
The head of the UN nuclear agency in June reaffirmed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s access to all the required nuclear sites in Iran, calling on Tehran to ensure “timely and proactive cooperation” with inspections under the deal.