Иран продал конфискованное нефтяное танкерное груз США для компенсации пациентам с пузырчаткой

Iran sells seized US oil cargo to compensate EB patients affected by sanctions Iran has sold a seized US oil cargo to compensate 771 Iranian patients suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare hereditary condition that causes the skin to become extremely fragile and prone to injury. Judge Majid Hosseinzadeh, head of Branch 55 of the Tehran Legal Court of International Relations, said on Monday that the oil cargo was seized in the Persian Gulf in 2023, Iran’s English-language Press TV reports. He said the case had been brought by 771 Iranian EB patients, with the support of EB Home, described as the only nationwide non-governmental organisation representing people with the condition, against the US government and its officials. The plaintiffs sought compensation for material, moral and punitive damages allegedly resulting from what they described as unlawful US sanctions and restrictions on access to specialised medical dressings and pharmaceutical supplies, he said. After a comprehensive review of the case, Hosseinzadeh said, the court issued a final verdict. Following legal notification and the issuance of an enforcement order, all necessary legal procedures were carried out, he added. RECOMMENDED STORIES The judge said that after the oil cargo was seized in 2023 and it was established that it belonged to the US government, the shipment was unloaded in accordance with legal procedures. The tanker was subsequently released, while the proceeds from the sale of the oil were deposited into a Judiciary account, he said. Hosseinzadeh stressed that during the proceedings, the court collected and examined extensive documentation from various domestic and international bodies, forensic medicine authorities and non-governmental organisations to establish the alleged direct impact of US sanctions on patients’ access to medicines and medical supplies. “During the proceedings, it was established that the US Treasury Department, through intimidation and the imposition of severe sanctions, had directly or by blocking financial transactions prevented pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of specialised dressings from sending medicines and medical supplies to Iran,” he said. “This action constitutes a clear violation of the fundamental right to access healthcare and medical treatment, which is recognised as one of the basic principles of human rights,” the judge added. He said the Tehran court had issued a detailed ruling of more than 100 pages, finding the US government’s actions “unlawful and inhumane” and ordering compensation for the resulting damages. In July 2024, the Tehran Legal Court of International Relations ruled that the United States must pay approximately $7 billion in damages over sanctions that, according to the court, had affected Iranian patients suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa. The court ordered the US government and officials to pay $6.785 billion in material, moral and punitive damages to the plaintiffs in the case, who are also known as “butterfly patients”.