00:28Iran has
00:29opened a major new legal offensive against senior American and Israeli officials.
00:36Iranian judiciary spokesperson Ali Kazemi says indictments have been issued against
00:42159 U.S. and Israeli nationals over what Tehran describes as the assassination of former supreme
00:51leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian military commanders.
00:57According to Iran's judiciary, the 159 accused include 92 U.S. nationals and 67 Israeli nationals.
01:08Allow me to explain. Regarding the martyred imam, two separate legal cases have been filed
01:14within the judiciary system. The first is a civil lawsuit which was initiated by a group
01:19of people and it is currently being processed at the Tehran court. As this is a new case,
01:26a formal court hearing will be scheduled in the very near future.
01:31This particular legal case was formally accepted under the provisions of the 2011 law on the
01:36jurisdiction of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to hear and adjudicate civil
01:40claims brought against foreign governments and the court's legal jurisdiction has been
01:43firmly established on this specific basis. This legal action is formally seeking full compensation
01:50for all material losses, deep moral suffering and significant punitive damages from those
01:55who acted as aggressors and committed these heinous criminal acts. In addition to this matter,
02:00a formal criminal case has also been officially processed within the Tehran prosecutor's office.
02:06This ongoing criminal case is centered specifically around the tragic assassination of the martyred imam
02:11and his beloved family members. Formal indictments have now been officially issued against a total
02:17of 159 high-ranking political figures and military commanders from both the United States government
02:22and the Zionist regime. Out of this entire group, 67 of these individuals are Israeli while the remaining
02:2892 are American nationals. The case has now moved into the court system. A hearing date will be scheduled
02:34in the near future and the legal proceedings will commence. The cases have reportedly been referred to court.
02:40But there is one major detail that remains unclear. Iran has not publicly released the names
02:48of the 159 individuals. Iranian officials describe Kamini as the martyred leader and characterize his death
02:57as an assassination. That is the Iranian government's description of the events. The latest announcement,
03:04therefore, represents a formal judicial move by Tehran, but it should not be confused with an internationally
03:12recognized finding of guilt. There is also another group of accused officials. Iran says investigations
03:20were opened into the deaths of 19 Iranian military commanders. Those investigations reportedly resulted in
03:28indictments against another 97 U.S. and Israeli officials. That figure includes 74 Americans and 23 Israelis.
03:39However, Iranian public statements have not made clear whether these 97 individuals are completely separate
03:47from the original group of 159 or whether there is some overlap between the two cases. And Tehran says the
03:56judicial
03:56campaign goes far beyond these individual indictments. Another case is reportedly being prepared over the
04:04deaths of Ali Larijani, his son Mordaza Larijani, and members of their offices. Iran says that case could also be
04:13referred to court following the completion of the indictment process. But what does this actually
04:19mean for the Americans and Israelis named in the proceedings? An Iranian indictment does not
04:25automatically give Tehran the ability to arrest someone living in another country. Iranian courts have
04:32jurisdiction inside Iran, but enforcing any judgment or arrest outside Iranian territory would depend on the
04:40cooperation of other governments and applicable international legal mechanisms. So, for now,
04:47the immediate significance is that Tehran has formally placed these cases into its domestic judicial system.
04:55And there is another important distinction. Despite some descriptions of this development as a kill list,
05:02Iranian authorities have not publicly released a 159-person assassination list in the statements
05:10reviewed. What has been announced is a list of 159 people who Iran says have been indicted. Their names have
05:18not been publicly disclosed. The announcement comes as tensions between Iran, the United States, and Israel
05:26remain extremely high. Iranian officials have repeatedly said they intend to pursue accountability for deaths and
05:34destruction resulting from the conflict. The latest judicial move adds a new legal dimension to that
05:41confrontation. For Tehran, the message is that the conflict will not be addressed only through military or
05:48diplomatic channels. Iran says it is also pursuing cases through its courts. But the practical international
05:56consequences remain uncertain, particularly because the accused are reportedly U.S. and Israeli nationals, and Iran
06:05does not have direct law enforcement authority over them outside its territory. So, for now, the headline figure remains 159.
06:16Ninety-two Americans. Ninety-seven Israelis. Iran says their cases have been indicted and referred to court,
06:25but their names, detailed charges, and the eventual outcome of those proceedings remain unclear.
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