In a meeting with Judiciary Chief Gholamhussein Mohseni Ejei, the Leader stresses accountability for the crimes of the American-Zionist enemy, alongside faster justice, stronger oversight and an uncompromising campaign against corruption.

TEHRAN -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei received Judiciary Chief Gholamhussein Mohseni Ejei on Saturday and directed him to pursue compensation for damages from American-Zionist criminals through the courts.

According to IRNA, Ejei presented a report on the judiciary's plans for its new term, including updating the judicial transformation document and accelerating digitalization to reduce case-processing times, lower costs, strengthen rulings and improve staff integrity.

The meeting then set out priorities: expanding social capital through justice and public rights, an effective fight against corruption and its bottlenecks, swift and decisive handling of cases with timely and deterrent enforcement, comprehensive transformation in the judiciary, maximum use of modern technologies for oversight and inspections, addressing omissions that lead to crimes, and seriousness in pursuing rights and material and moral damages resulting from the crimes of American-Zionist criminals.

The judicial directives come as Iranian authorities have documented extensive civilian casualties and damage from the U.S.-Israeli war that began on February 28.

Iran's UN envoy reported more than 1,348 civilians martyred and over 17,000 injured, while the government spokesperson later said 204 minors, 226 women and 17 medical personnel were among the dead, with more than 61,000 civilian sites damaged.

The Red Crescent put the number of damaged civilian units above 70,000, including 251 medical centers and 498 educational facilities.

Iran's judiciary has said it is pursuing cases on multiple tracks. In September, judiciary spokesman Ali Kazemi announced indictments against 159 U.S. and Israeli political and military officials over the assassination of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior commanders—92 Americans and 67 Zionists—with separate indictments against 97 officials over the martyrdoms of 19 commanders.

A civil case filed collectively by Tehran residents concerning material, moral and punitive damages is also being heard, Kazemi said.

The head of the Judiciary's Lawyers' Centre, Hassan Abdolianpour, said the first hearing in the 55th International Legal Court in Tehran addressed moral damages, with cases concerning persons and property to follow in the coming weeks and months.

He said Iranian courts have issued rulings against the United States exceeding $290 billion in total this year, including a $48 billion judgment over the 2020 assassination of General Qassem Soleimani.

Tehran has notified Washington of the lawsuits through the Iranian Interests Section, according to the head of Tehran province courts

The audience follows Parliament Speaker Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaf's meeting with Khamenei on Wednesday, October 21, which reviewed "the latest developments in the military, economic and cognitive war of the American-Zionist enemy" and stressed national cohesion, government-parliament cooperation on economic problems, and relations with strategic partners.

Before that, President Masoud Pezeshkian met Ayatollah Khamenei in August in a session he later described as lasting seven hours, saying the Leader was in full physical health and that "preserving unity and cohesion" was his most important recommendation.

The meeting covered livelihoods, employment, housing, and problems caused by sanctions, the president said.

 In his message in later September, the Leader said Iran has emerged stronger from successive wars and pressure, declaring that the “phoenix” that rose from the first imposed war has grown so large that “the shadow of its flight has fallen over the lands of the enemy.”

In a message marking the Iraqi imposed war and commemorating Iran’s eight-year defense, Ayatollah Khamenei said efforts by foreign powers to return Iran to an era of “backwardness, humiliation and disgrace, dependence and Iran’s disrepute in the Islamic world” have failed.

The Leader’s latest message came on October 17 to mark the National Nurses Day, in which he said the "malicious network of global arrogance" is sparing no effort to inflict injustice and suffering on free and resistant nations, particularly Iran, including through restrictions on medical treatment and medicines.