Judge Fines Iran $2.65B for '83 Blast in Beirut

Families of 241 slain servicemen awarded record amount
By Zach Samalin,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 7, 2007 5:20 PM CDT
Judge Fines Iran $2.65B for '83 Blast in Beirut
Family members of those killed in the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, stand outside the U.S. District Court House in Washington, Friday, September 7, 2007, after a federal judge ruled that Iran must pay $2.65 billion in damages to family members. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)   (Associated Press)

A federal judge ruled today that Iran must pay $2.65 billion to the families of the 241 Americans killed in the 1983 suicide bombing of a Marine barracks in Beirut. Iran allegedly supported Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which claimed responsibility for the attack. The judge called the judgment the largest ever against a foreign nation, the AP reports.

Represented for 6 years by an empty table, Iran has denied involvement in the attack and ignored the lawsuit. Nearly 1,000 family members will attempt to collect their money from Iranian assets worldwide. "When we win the war is when we collect, when we make them pay for what they did," said one ex-Marine who was present during the bombing. (More suicide bombing stories.)

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