Iran threatens legal action over U.N. sanctions

UNITED NATIONS-Iran has threatened legal action against Western states to seek compensation for losses it said it had suffered from U.N. Security Council sanctions over its nuclear program.The threat came in a 20-page letter from Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, obtained by Reuters on Wednesday. It rejects as illegal the latest sanctions resolution, passed on March 3, and says Tehran would not comply with it.That resolution ratcheted up earlier sanctions imposed for Iran's refusal to suspend nuclear enrichment, a process that can produce fuel for atomic power stations or nuclear bombs.The measures extend travel and financial curbs on named Iranian individuals and companies.In a point-by-point rebuttal, Mottaki's letter denounced the resolution as contrary to the U.N. Charter and international law. It said Iran had acted within its rights and its critics had failed to prove it was seeking atomic weapons.Sponsors of the resolution "should, as a minimum step, admit their mistakes, apologize to the great nation of Iran, correct their behavior, and above all, compensate all the damages they have inflicted" on Iran, the minister said."Iran and its citizens have the right to resort to legal actions to seek redress against the sponsors of these unlawful actions. These countries should accept the responsibility for their actions and must be held accountable."Mottaki did not directly identify the countries concerned but other paragraphs of his letter indicated he was referring to the United States, Britain, France and Germany-the principal backers of the resolution.He did not specify where Iran might seek legal redress.

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