October 23, 2018 - The country of Iran has long been considered a state sponsor of terror due to routinely providing weapons, training and money to many terrorist groups. Iran has also refused to identify or prosecute senior members of Al-Qaida. While this blatant furtherance of terrorism is bad enough, a few years back it was discovered that Iran’s funding of terrorism was associated with the activities of certain European financial institutions. In fact, American soldiers and civilian contractors who were killed or severely injured in explosions in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars can potentially trace their trauma back to money which came from Iran—money which was processed in large financial transactions performed by global banks.
Iraq War Veterans and Afghanistan War Veterans Were Targets of Iranian Sponsored Terrorism Literally thousands of U.S. veterans, contractors, service members and their families would not have suffered as they did due to severe injuries and death if no money had been available to purchase weapons and ammunition, arming and training terrorist groups. It is highly likely that the majority of the U.S. casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq can be traced directly back to Iranian-sponsored terrorism. These serious injuries, deaths and lifelong disabilities include explosion and blast injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, limb amputations, vision loss and PTSD.
Which Global Banks Were Connected to the Processing of Large Financial Transactions for Iran? A few years back several global banks entered into Deferred Prosecution Agreements and Consent Orders. In return for delayed prosecution (which likely means the government will never prosecute the banks), the banks admitted they processed large financial transactions for Iran—a known sponsor of terrorism—in direct violation of sanctions put into place by the United States. The global banks involved in providing money to Iran included Barclay’s PLC, Standard Chartered Bank, HSBC Holding Group PLC, Commerzbank A.G., Credit Suisse and BNP Paribas S.A, each of which have a presence in New York.
The banks admitted they had transferred billions of dollars on behalf of Iran, even though they were aware of the sanctions against Iran. Federal prosecutors sued the banks in 2014, receiving billions in fines in return for deferred prosecution. These original lawsuits have now provided a stepping stone for private U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act Lawsuits on behalf of soldiers, contractors and their families.
Are You Eligible to File a United States Anti-Terrorism Act Lawsuit? If you are a U.S. veteran, service member or contractor—or the family of a veteran, service member or contractor—who suffered severe injuries, disability or death as a result of Iranian-sponsored terrorist acts, you could be eligible to file a United States Anti-Terrorism Lawsuit.
Obtaining Assistance from an United States Anti-Terrorism Act Attorney You may be entitled to compensation for Afghanistan War Explosion Injuries or Iraq War Explosion Injuries, or family members could be entitled to compensation for the death of a loved one who served or was a civilian contractor in the Afghanistan War or Iraq War. Gold Star Family Members who lost a loved one to Iranian-sponsored terrorism may be eligible to pursue damages as well. Among the United States Anti-Terrorism Act Lawsuits which have already been filed, the primary claim is that global banks conspired with Iran to hide financial transactions from U.S. officials, blatantly ignoring sanctions in place. Military attacks in both Iraq and Afghanistan were financed by Iran from 2003 to 2011. A knowledgeable United States Anti-Terrorism attorney can help you determine whether you are entitled to pursue compensation for your injuries, and the best way to proceed.