The Daily Populous Monday June 29th, 2026 evening edition
Authored by jpost.com and submitted by thejerusalempost

Iran’s Judiciary Chief, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, announced that the Islamic Republic would be pursuing cases against the United States in the international court and that authorities would begin seizing American assets “if our access becomes possible” during an event titled American Human Rights Week, according to local and diaspora media reports on Sunday.

At the event, which focuses on alleged human rights violations committed by the US, Ejei claimed that courts had already issued rulings against American officials “who have committed crimes against our people.”

Acknowledging Iran’s limited abilities to seize the property of the aforementioned individuals, Ejei claimed that it had seized an American ship “for the benefit of compatriots who have suffered losses from American crimes.“

“From now on, if we gain access to the properties of criminal Americans, we will seize and confiscate them in accordance with the legal ruling of the courts,” he promised.

While not immediately clear what vessel was being referenced by Ejei, Iran’s navy seized the cargo aboard a Suezmax crude tanker flying the Marshall Islands flag, the Advantage Sweet, in international waters within the Gulf of Oman in 2023.

Vessels anchored at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, May 25, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)

The vessel had been carrying the $50 million worth of Kuwaiti crude oil destined for Texas on behalf of the American energy giant Chevron.

Iran unloads US oil after Iranian court ruling

In March 2024, an Iranian court ruled in favour of patients who had sued the US government over sanctions that they claimed stopped Iran from importing medicine for a rare skin disease, causing deaths and suffering.

After the ruling, Iranian authorities said they would unload about $50 million worth of crude from the Advantage Sweet, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

The report did not specify whether Iran’s seizure of the tanker’s oil would contribute to any compensation for the patients, though the court ordered the US government and officials to pay $6.8 billion over the sanctions.

Military historian Dr. Lynette Nusbacher explained that the promise to seize American assets could cost the United States more than the material cost of the stolen goods.

“Seizing a vessel with an American-owned cargo, even if the sailors and the hull aren’t American, gives Iran a way to keep the US on a string for years to come, and that could make it very difficult for the US majors to do business in the Gulf,” she explained.

“The Gulf monarchies will need to tread very lightly in the months and years to come. Whatever relationships they build or rebuild globally, they will need to keep the Iranians sweet, at least until they’re able to ship their oil from ports the Iranians can’t hit.”

Iran begins filing of war crimes claims against US

The official confirmed that, alongside the Foreign Ministry, Iran had begun “Serious and diligent” work to file claims with the international courts regarding alleged American war crimes.

“In this recent imposed war against the Iranian nation, the aggressive US regime committed war crimes and gross violations of human rights, including deliberately and purposefully bombing civilian and immune sites,” he claimed.

“During the aggression against Iran, the brutal US regime targeted civilian sites with educational, medical, and residential symbols with multi-stage missiles; sites where there were sometimes no military areas within a radius of several kilometers. These are clear examples of war crimes, and an indictment can be issued for each of them.”

adolescenthammock8 on June 29th, 2026 at 13:26 UTC »

Pretty rich coming from a regime with that kind of track record, no international court is going to take these filings seriously.

leopardbaseball on June 29th, 2026 at 13:02 UTC »

Thats very rich coming from Iran eh!

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/jan/27/iran-protests-death-toll-disappeared-bodies-mass-burials-30000-dead

While the war is utter bullsh**t, let’s not forget what Iran does to their citizens.

thejerusalempost on June 29th, 2026 at 12:52 UTC »

Iran's judiciary chief announced war crimes filings against the US at international courts and threatened asset seizures at an event called American Human Rights Week. The piece is worth reading for the shipping angle specifically. The expert quoted argues that even symbolic asset seizures give Iran leverage to keep Gulf monarchies and US energy majors on edge for years regardless of any nuclear deal outcome.