The World - News from May 21, 1989

Iran is suing the United States in the World Court for compensation for the mistaken downing of an Iranian airliner last year, a court official said in The Hague. In the July 3, 1988, incident, an Iran Air jet was hit by a missile fired by the U.S. guided missile cruiser Vincennes over the Persian Gulf. All 290 people aboard the Airbus perished. Iran did not provide an estimate of the damages suffered. At the same time, in the United Arab Emirates, a Dubai-based lawyer said the families of the Iranians who were killed have also decided to sue the U.S. government for compensation. Salman Lutfi said the relatives will also sue the manufacturers of the radar equipment used aboard the Vincennes. “I can’t say how much we will seek, but we will ask for the maximum limit permitted under American law,” he said.