A US judge
ordered Iran to pay over $10 billion in damages to families of
victims who died on September 11, 2001 – even though there is no
evidence of Tehran’s direct connection to the attack. The same
judge earlier cleared Saudi Arabia from culpability.
The default
judgement was issued by US District Judge George Daniels in New York
on Wednesday. Under the ruling, Tehran was ordered to pay $7.5
billion to 9/11 victims’ families, including $2 million to each
victim’s estate for pain and suffering, and another $6.88 million
in punitive damages. Insurers who paid for property damage and
claimed their businesses were interrupted were awarded an additional
$3 billion in the ruling.
The ruling
is noteworthy particularly since none of the 19 hijackers on
September 11 were Iranian citizens. Fifteen were citizens of Saudi
Arabia, while two were from the United Arab Emirates, and one each
from Egypt and Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia
was legally cleared from paying billions in damages to families of
9/11 victims last year, after Judge Daniels dismissed claims that the
country provided material support to the terrorists and ruled that
Riyadh had sovereign immunity. Saudi attorneys argued in court that
there was no evidence directly linking the country to 9/11.
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