TEHRAN: An Iranian court on Thursday ordered the US government to pay over $6.7 billion in damages as a Swedish company stopped its supply of special bandages and dressings after Washington imposed sanctions on Iran.
The special bandages are supposed to be used to treat those suffering from Epidermolysis bullosa a rare skin disease.
The order by the International Relations Law Court comes after Tehran seized a $50 million cargo of crude oil for American energy firm Chevron Corp last year.
Iranian state news agency IRNA on Thursday reported that the $6.7 billion damage is being claimed by 300 plaintiffs, including family members of victims and those physically and emotionally damaged. It said about 20 patients died after the decision of the Swedish company.
Epidermolysis bullosa is a rare genetic disorder that causes blisters all over the body and eyes. It can be painful and kill those affected. The skin of young who suffer from the disease can become as fragile as a butterfly’s wing.
In 2018, former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with world powers, apparently sparking the Swedish company to pull out from the Iranian market. Iran says it locally produces the bandages and dressings.
The nuclear deal’s collapse also increased tensions between Iran and the US, sparking a series of attacks and ship seizures. Iran last year seized the Marshall Islands-flagged ship carrying the Chevron oil.
