Iran sells seized US oil cargo to compensate EB patients suffering under illegal 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 fragile and easily injured.

Judge Majid Hosseinzadeh, head of Branch 55 of the Tehran Legal Court of International Relations, said on Monday that the oil tanker was seized in the Persian Gulf in 2023.

He added that the case was filed by 771 Iranian EB patients, with the support of the EB Home, the only nationwide non-governmental organization, against the US government and its officials.

The plaintiffs sought compensation for material, moral and punitive damages resulting from cruel and unlawful US sanctions and restrictions on access to specialized medical dressings and pharmaceutical supplies, he explained.

After a comprehensive review of the case, Hosseinzadeh said, a final verdict was issued and following legal notification and the issuance of an enforcement order, all required legal procedures were carried out.

Following the 2023 seizure of the oil cargo and the establishment that it belonged to the US government, the shipment was unloaded in accordance with legal procedures, the tanker was released and the proceeds from the oil sale were deposited into the account of the Judiciary, he added.

Hosseinzadeh emphasized that during the proceedings, the court collected and examined extensive written documentation from various domestic and international bodies, forensic medicine authorities and non-governmental organizations to establish the direct role of US sanctions in restricting patients’ access to medicine.

“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 specialized 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 recognized as one of the basic principles of human rights,” the judge emphasized.

He added that the Tehran court issued a detailed ruling of more than 100 pages, finding the US government’s actions “unlawful and inhumane” and ordering compensation for the damages caused.

The United States under President Donald Trump reinstated harsh sanctions on Iran after unilaterally walking out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018, despite Iran’s full compliance with the terms of the agreement.

The sanctions have been choking up the financial channels that could be used for providing Iran with essential medicine, material, or medical equipment.

Although Washington and its Western allies claim that humanitarian goods were exempted from sanctions, tens of thousands of patients in Iran have, over the years, died or developed critical ailments due to the unavailability of essential drugs.

Iran court rules US must pay nearly $7bn in damages to EB patients over sanctions

An Iranian court has ruled that the United States must pay some seven billion dollars in damages over its illegal sanctions affecting the country’s patients suffering from EB.

In July 2024, the Tehran Legal Court of International Relations ruled that the United States must pay some seven billion dollars in damages over its illegal sanctions affecting the country’s patients suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa.

The court said the US government and officials have been sentenced to pay 6,785,000,000 dollars as part of material, moral and punitive damages to the plaintiffs in the case of Iran's EB patients, also known as "butterfly" patients.

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