Tehran: The third session of hearings on a case concerning the 1953 coup in Iran was held on Tuesday, with 400,000 Iranian citizens seeking compensation from the United States for damages resulting from Washington’s role in the coup.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the session was convened at Branch 55 of Tehran’s International Civil Court with the attendance of several legal experts. The presiding judge opened the hearing by stating that the case involved ‘over 400,000 Iranian plaintiffs against the US government, demanding material, moral, and punitive damages arising from conduct connected to the 1953 coup against the Iranian nation.’

The judge explained that the court had received numerous petitions from different provinces, all seeking reparations for losses sustained. He said the session marked the third round of hearings and the court would decide whether further investigations or proceedings were necessary. Citing Iranian law, the judge noted that the court considered itself competent to hear the claims, stressing that the United States had repeatedly violated Iran’s legal immunity in its domestic courts.

‘On this basis, we too are entitled to reciprocal legal action’ and are ‘competent to hear claims filed by Iranian plaintiffs against the US government,’ he said. During the session, lawyer Aboutaleb Ayaz argued that American involvement in Iran had been aimed at securing full political dominance from the outset. He said Washington not only orchestrated the coup against the then elected government but also established, in collaboration with Israel’s Mossad, the notorious SAVAK intelligence service to suppress dissent.

The coup of August 19 and the subsequent imposition of a US-installed regime paved the way for unprecedented authoritarianism, Ayaz told the court. The 1953 coup, carried out with support from the CIA and Britain’s MI6, led to the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and the strengthening of the Pahlavi monarchy, which was ultimately overthrown in the popular Islamic Revolution of 1979.