TEHRAN – The first court session addressing the case of Iranian divers martyred by Iraqi troops during the 1980s war was held on Monday, at Branch 55 of the International Affairs Court in Tehran, presided over by Judge Majid Husseinzadeh.
At the beginning of the session, the judge stated that the court was proceeding with a lawsuit brought by 42 families of the diver martyrs against 65 defendants, including the United States government and its authorities.
He added that the court’s jurisdiction is based on the law on taking countermeasures and the law on pursuing damages for Iranian citizens.
Ezzeddin Soleimani, the attorney representing the families, emphasized the U.S. role in burying the Iranian divers.
He argued that the United States violated international humanitarian law, pointing to its role in supporting the Ba’ath regime’s military operations against Iran.
The divers were captured in the Arvand River by the Ba’ath regime’s forces, who had been informed of Iranian operations through U.S. intelligence, leading to the failure of Iran’s Operation Karbala-4, he explained.
“What caused Iran’s failure in Operation Karbala-4 was not espionage or anything else, but an American AWACS revealed Operation Karbala-4. The U.S. had provided financial, logistical, weapons, and intelligence support [to Iraq] for about two years before Operation Karbala-4,” he added.
Soleimani said U.S. actions amounted to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and violations of human dignity.
He pointed out that David Crist, a former advisor to the U.S. State Department, also confirmed in an August 2013 interview with BBC Persian that the United States provided Iraq with intelligence, including details of Operation Karbala-4, leading to its failure.
Aerial and satellite imagery were among the methods used to gather intelligence, he said, adding that as one of the most advanced nations in this field, the United States supplied such images to the Ba’ath regime due to its hostility toward the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The intelligence, he said, enabled Ba’ath forces to monitor and identify Iranian troop movements in Khorramshahr and Shalamcheh, ultimately hindering Iran’s success in the operation.
The attorney also requested a ruling against the United States, holding it liable for compensatory, punitive, and non-material damages resulting from its unlawful actions.
Judge Husseinzadeh said the court’s ruling will be issued soon, affirming the evidence of U.S. support for the former Ba’ath regime in contravention of international conventions and treaties.