Four ways US seizure of Iranian assets will impact bilateral ties

The US Supreme Court ruling to confiscate $2 billion worth of Iranian assets to compensate American victims of terrorist attacks has several consequences that will impact bilateral ties between the two countries.
A crane is brought in after the explosion of the Marine Corps building in Beirut, Lebanon October 23, 1983. The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that almost $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets must be turned over to American families of people killed in the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut and other attacks blamed on Iran. REUTERS/US Marines/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE WAS PROV
A crane is brought in after the explosion of the Marine Corps building in Beirut, Lebanon, Oct. 23, 1983. The US Supreme Court ruled in April that almost $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets must be turned over to American families of people killed in the 1983 bombing of a US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut and other attacks blamed on Iran. - REUTERS
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Ali Omidi
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TEHRAN, Iran — The US Supreme Court ruling to confiscate $2 billion worth of Iranian assets to compensate American victims of terrorist attacks has hit hard in Tehran. The asset seizure, which has the backing of the US State Department, has been described by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani as "blatant theft," while Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called it "highway robbery."

There is no doubt that the measure will have severe repercussions on the already tense relations between Tehran and Washington; its impact can be roughly categorized under four headings.

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