*TEHRAN – Iran demanded Monday that the UN’s top court order the UnitedStates to suspend nuclear-linked sanctions against Tehran, but Washingtonvowed to “vigorously” fend off the legal challenge.*

The Islamic Republic launched a suit at the International Court of Justiceover US President Donald Trump’s decision to reimpose sanctions that werelifted in a landmark 2015 accord.

Trump says the sanctions are needed to ensure Iran never builds a nuclearbomb. But Iran’s representative Mohsen Mohebi branded them “naked economicaggression”.

His team of lawyers told the court in The Hague that the measures werealready devastating Iran’s economy and threatening the welfare of itscitizens.

“The United States is publicly propagating a policy intended to damage asseverely as possible Iran’s economy and Iranian nationals and companies,”Mohebi said.

“Iran will put up the strongest resistance to the US economicstrangulation, by all peaceful means.” US lawyers are due to give theirresponse in arguments before the court on Tuesday, with experts expectingthem to challenge the ICJ’s jurisdiction.

“We will vigorously defend against Iran’s meritless claims this week in TheHague,” said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

He said Iran’s lawsuit was “an attempt to interfere with the sovereignrights of the United States to take lawful actions, including re-impositionof sanctions, which are necessary to protect our national security”.*‘Irreparable prejudice’*

ICJ judgements are binding, final and without appeal.

However, whether any decision will be implemented remains unclear, withboth Iran and the US in the past ignoring ICJ rulings against them.

The US measures have added to Iran’s economic woes, fuelling strikes andprotests across the country and political spectrum.

The sanctions target financial transactions and imports of raw materials,cars and aircraft among other sectors. A second wave of punitive measuresis due to hit the OPEC member state in early November, targeting its vitalenergy sector including oil exports.

Iran’s lawyers said the sanctions would cause it “irreparable prejudice”.

They urged the court to order the suspension of the sanctions pending adefinitive ruling.

London-based lawyer Samuel Wordsworth, for Iran, told the court themeasures were threatening Iranians’ access to medicines as well asdisrupting business deals.*‘One-sided deal’*

The ICJ is expected to take a couple of months to decide whether to grantTehran’s request for a provisional ruling. A final decision could takeyears.

After years of diplomacy, the 2015 deal was signed by Iran and the fivepermanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.

Sanctions were lifted in return for Iran committing not to pursue nuclearweapons.

Trump, who took office in 2016, called it a “horrible one-sided deal”.

He said it “failed to achieve the fundamental objective of blocking allpaths to a Iranian nuclear bomb.”*Business deals scuppered*

Iran’s lawyers said the US sanctions had disrupted tens of billions ofdollars’ worth of business deals with foreign companies.

Iran’s currency the rial has lost around half its value since April.

International companies including French oil firm Total and Germany’sSiemens have suspended operations in Iran since Trump announced the USwithdrawal in May.

Trump said the sanctions would turn up the financial pressure on Tehran tocome to a “comprehensive and lasting solution” regarding its activitiessuch as its “ballistic missile programme and its support for terrorism”.

The case is the second brought by Tehran against Washington since 2016.

That year it brought a suit at the ICJ against the freezing of around $2billion of Iranian assets abroad which US courts say should go to Americanvictims of terror attacks.

Hearings in that case are due to start on October 8.

In both cases Iran is basing its claim on the obscure 1955 Treaty of Amityand Economic Relations, signed long before the country’s Islamic revolution.

Despite the treaty, the two countries have not had diplomatic ties since1980. Iran routinely refers to the US as “the enemy” and its officialschant “Death to America” at official functions. – APP/AFP