A total of 67 Americans filed a federal lawsuit seeking to hold the Islamic Republic of Iran responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre carried out by Hamas terrorists against Israeli citizens:
Iran bears direct responsibility for the October 7 Attacks. ... Indeed, that point is essentially undisputed. The Iranian regime has openly flaunted its motive for aiding the horrors.
The lawsuit is the first attempt to hold Iran responsible for the massacre. The text states that the massacre that killed 1,200 people, left thousands injured and more than two dozen hostages was "masterminded and funded by the Islamic Republic of Iran":
Iran’s provision of funds, weapons, munitions, training, and intelligence to Hamas and PIJ provided those terror groups with material support and resources used to murder, torture, take hostage, and otherwise injure Plaintiffs, along with Israeli men, women, elderly, teenagers, children, toddlers, infants, and others.
Iran is a 'sworn enemy of Israel and the United States'
According to Bloomberg, the group of plaintiffs, made up of direct victims of the attack and relatives of the dead, injured and hostages, are asking for $1 billion in damages.
The plaintiffs maintain that Iran, which they consider a "sworn enemy of Israel and the United States," used Hamas terrorists to sabotage attempts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia:
As potential Israeli normalization with Saudi Arabia progressed, Iran prepared to reset the regional balance, including by attempting to unite Arab states around the Palestinian cause.
The lawsuit states that from April to June 2023, Iranian officials held meetings with leaders of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iran "to encourage further acts of terrorism against Israel." Alex Spiro, one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit, told NBC News:
We expect to prove our case by several means, including affidavits from our clients as well as reports from experts on Iran and terror financing.
According to the "Country Reports on Terrorism 2021" from the U.S. State Department: "Hamas has received funding, weapons, and training from Iran and raises funds in Persian Gulf countries."
