The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered the US to ease sanctions it re-imposed on Iran after pulling out a nuclear deal last year.
Siding with Tehran, it said exports of “humanitarian” goods, such as food and medicines, should be allowed.
According to BBC News, the US argued the court had no jurisdiction in the case as it concerned its national security.
The rulings of the ICJ – which is based in The Hague – are binding but the court has no power to enforce them.
It is the main judicial organ of the UN and settles legal disputes between member states. But both nations have in the past ignored the court’s rulings.
Announcing the decision today, the court’s president said: “The court considers that the United States must remove, by means of its choosing, any impediment (…) to the free exportation to the territory of Iran of goods required for humanitarian needs.”
