[A-List] US imperialism: Iran

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Washington Post / Judge: Iran behind 1983 bombing in Beirut / Allan Lengel

A federal judge in Washington ruled last week that Iran was behind the 1983
bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American
servicemen, clearing the way for more than 600 of their relatives to collect
financial damages against the Islamic republic.In a 30-page decision that
resulted from a lawsuit filed by the families, U.S. District Judge Royce
Lamberth wrote that the terrorist group Hezbollah carried out the attack at
the behest of Iran and its Ministry of Information and Security.

"The approval of both the Ayatollah [Ruhollah] Khomeini and President [Ali
Akbar Hashemi] Rafsanjani was absolutely necessary to carry out the
continuing economic commitment of Iran to Hezbollah, and to execute the
October 23 attack," the judge wrote. "Given their positions of authority,
any act of these two officials must be deemed an act of the government of
Iran."

Steven Perles, an attorney in the case, hailed the decision, saying it was
the first time a judicial ruling had linked Iran to the barracks bombing.

"The fact that Iran has taken on the role as the preeminent sponsor of
terrorism, and is the subject of discussion in the White House, only
heightens the importance of the decision," Perles said.

In issuing his ruling, the judge said a court-appointed master would
consider the financial claims in the case. Ultimately, however, it may be
difficult to collect compensation. The only money paid to victims of Iranian
terrorism to date has come from a fund in the U.S. Treasury that matches the
$400 million remaining in frozen Iranian accounts.

Perles said he hopes to obtain payouts by locating secret Iranian
investments in the United States that he said may exceed $4 billion.

One of the plaintiffs in the case, Lynn Smith Derbyshire, 42, of Northern
Virginia, whose oldest brother, Capt. Vincent Smith, was killed in the
bombing, said she was thrilled with the decision.

"When I first heard the news, I fell to my knees in tears," she said. "This
is a step toward justice. The Beirut bombing has been brushed under the rug
all these years. Now it's been proven in a court of law that the government
of Iran was responsible for this."

The lawsuit was filed in 2001 on behalf of more than 600 people who lost
immediate family members in the truck bombing of the Marines' 24th
Amphibious Unit.
Under the rules of combat, U.S. troops have no clear legal right to sue. But
the judge ruled that the troops were on a peacekeeping mission under
peacetime rules of engagement. Therefore, survivors and family members could
sue Iran under a 1996 law that allows U.S. citizens to take legal action
against nations that sponsor terrorism.
On December 18, 2002, Lamberth entered default judgments against Iran after
it failed to respond to the lawsuit. But the law requires the court to
conduct a fact-finding proceeding before finalizing the judgment.

The Guardian Weekly 20-3-0605, page 31