U.S. court ruling says Iran aided Sept 11 terroristsDecember 16, 2011 - 16:42 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Lawyers representing families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks won a default judgment on Thursday, December 15, against Iran, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah organization in Lebanon, the Taliban and Al Qaeda in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court that contended that Iranian officials aided and abetted the hijackers who flew jetliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The lawsuit accused the defendants, including Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of providing help to the attackers in a marriage of convenience between Iran’s Shiite hierarchy and the Sunni operatives of Al Qaeda, putting aside deep mutual antipathy to fight the common enemy, the United States. The plaintiffs presented evidence that a senior Hezbollah fighter, Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in 2008, had been an important liaison between Iran and Al Qaeda, meeting with Osama bin Laden in 1993 and introducing him to the strategy of suicide attacks that drove the Americans from Lebanon in the early 1980s. The defendants were not represented in the lawsuit, and it is unclear how the plaintiffs would collect damages. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |