TEHRAN -- Iran’s Judiciary has issued indictments against 159 senior U.S. and Israeli political and military officials over the assassination of martyred Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and military commanders, Judiciary spokesman Ali Kazemi said on Saturday.
Kazemi said 92 of the accused are U.S. nationals and 67 are Israeli, adding that the indictments have been issued and the cases referred to court.
He said a separate civil case, filed collectively by people in Tehran and concerning material, moral and punitive damages, is being heard after the jurisdiction of Iran’s courts to consider the lawsuit was established. A hearing date will be set soon, he added.
Regarding the cases involving martyred commanders, Kazemi said cases have been opened and investigated concerning 19 commanders. Indictments were ultimately issued against 97 U.S. and Israeli officials, including 74 Americans and 23 Israelis.
Kazemi also said a case has been opened regarding the assassination of Ali Larijani, Morteza Larijani and members of his office, and will soon be referred to court after legal procedures and issuance of indictments.
The Judiciary spokesman said around 400 cases have been filed with Iranian courts as part of domestic and international legal proceedings, adding that one case involved more than 350,000 plaintiffs.
He said the purpose of the measures is to document claims and evidence, conduct judicial proceedings and issue well-founded rulings, allowing the pursuit of legal claims inside Iran and, if necessary, internationally.
On February 28, the U.S. and Israel
launched the second round of aggression against Iran, assassinating Ayatollah Khamenei and several high-ranking commanders and officials. The war, which lasted for 40 days, was met with Iran’s decisive military response.
Iran has vowed to legally pursue those behind the assassinations at domestic and international levels.
Earlier this month, Minister of Justice Amin Hossein Rahimi said the crimes committed during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran are being documented for lawsuits and judicial and legal follow-up at international forums.