U.S. Court Orders Japanese Bank to Freeze Iran Transactions Over 1983 Beirut Bombing

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

A Japanese bank has halted transactions by the Iranian government after a U.S. court ordered a $2.6 billion asset freeze over the 1983 bombing of U.S. barracks in Beirut, a bank spokesman said Thursday.

"It is true that we have received the order from the U.S. court," to freeze $2.6 billion of assets, a spokesman for the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ told Agence France Presse, declining to give details on the value of Iranian holdings at the bank.

The court order reflects "the amount that the court in 2007 upheld for compensation demands by families of victims of the 1983 attacks on U.S. forces in Beirut," he said.

The bank lodged an appeal against the U.S. court order on Thursday, he said.

"One of the reasons for the appeal is that the U.S. court has ordered a freeze on assets in accounts not only in the United States but also in Japan, which is problematic under Japanese law," the spokesman said.

"We cannot comment on how much or whose assets related to Iran are in the bank's accounts," he added, while admitting that the bank "handles a relatively large number of transactions for trade with Iran."

On October 23, 1983, a 19-tonne explosives-laden truck rammed through barricades and detonated in front of the U.S. barracks in the Lebanese capital, killing 241 U.S. soldiers.

As part of the same wave of attacks, a French barracks was also bombed, killing 58 French paratroopers.

Tehran denies responsibility for the attacks, but Washington subsequently named Iran on the list of terrorism-supporting states.

A 2007 court ruling in the U.S. ordered Iran to pay $2.65 billion to victims' families.

Comments 4
Default-user-icon Chris (Guest) 17 May 2012, 20:07

you are a fool. Murdered, is the term. these men were murdered!!!!! they were not at war!! How do you feel about murder? Get a clue.

Default-user-icon Dale Garner (Guest) 17 May 2012, 22:06

Well mr. or mrs. mowaten whichever is correct? for your information the troops that were in Beirut, Lebanon in '83 weren't there to massacre, invade or loot the people or country of Lebanon! We were there as a part of a Multi-National Peacekeeping Force, who were asked to be there by the Government of Lebanon! So YOU need to get your facts straight you wacko!

Default-user-icon rustybucket (Guest) 18 May 2012, 03:36

I agree with our Lebanese counterpart! Instead of protecting the Lebanese, Syrians, Jordanians, Iranians and Iraqis from certain annihilation from Israel, we should just let them wipe out the home-grown terrorist with apparently nothing else better to do than kill PeaceKeepers. If it weren't for American soldiers in 1983, Israel would have swept through Lebanon and left ashes in its wake. The next time terrorist sympathizers come crying for protection we should just say "You're on your own tough guy!"

Default-user-icon victum of terorism (Guest) 23 May 2012, 03:02

Cedar of Lebanon tree how interesting. How old are you? Were you alive when your Country was at Civil War? FYI your Country asked the US to help you. Our troops were murdered while trying to keep a stablized peace in your Country. Walid Jumblatt said years ago "they come they die". Guess what I wish our troops would never go into another Country because we are not there to gain terrority. If we were there to fight we were far to few and if we were there to die we had far to many.