Iranian MP Says Iran Will Sue US Over Illegal Naval Blockade

Iran will lodge a complaint against the United States over what an Iranian lawmaker called an illegal blockade, according to an interview published by Iran's Mehr news agency.

Esmaeil Kowsari, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Iran's parliament, made the statement in an interview with Mehr. Mehr's report did not give a date or name a venue for the complaint.

Kowsari said the Foreign Ministry and the Judiciary in Iran have the prime duty in that regard, Mehr reported.

He also said international bodies have the legal jurisdiction to sue the US over the blockade of Iran, but have not lived up to their commitments, according to Mehr.

Mehr reported that the lawmaker called on the Iranian Judiciary to document the negative impact of what he described as the US criminal blockade on the livelihood and health of Iranians. He said the aim would be to sue the party he called the aggressor over the blockade.

Mehr was the only outlet whose report was available on the statement. Its account did not include a response from US officials, and the claims about the blockade's legality and its effects are Kowsari's as reported by Mehr.

Background

Qatar Standard reported in September that Iran had deployed precision-guided munitions against United States naval forces, according to reports of a fresh escalation. That report said the confrontation between Tehran and Washington has centered largely on the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply transits.

The earlier report added that Tehran has long argued the US military presence in the Gulf constitutes provocation, while Washington frames its posture as defensive and aimed at protecting freedom of navigation. It also said Qatar has repeatedly positioned itself as a mediator between Tehran and Washington, hosting indirect talks during past rounds of tension.