US may tap secret act to halt private suit against anti-Iran group

A source familiar with the case said that the US government may intervene to stop a lawsuit against "United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)" after government lawyers failed to mediate a settlement between the New York-based anti-Iran organization and the plaintiff, Reuters reported Thursday.

Last year, Greek ship owner Victor Restis sued UANI for defamation after the non-governmental lobbying group, which has been campaigning against Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities, accused the businessman of violating Washington’s illegal unilateral sanctions against Iran.

The report said the move by Washington to use a state secrets privilege to stop the case would be “highly unusual."

"An intervention by the government in a private civil lawsuit is rare, and its use of a privilege under state secrets statutes to clamp down on the case would be a highly unusual move,” the report said, adding that other cases where the government had invoked the privilege included lawsuits filed against the National Security Agency following revelations by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

The Greek businessman denies doing illegal business with Iran. His lawyers have demanded in the lawsuit that the anti-Iran group present and substantiate evidence that Restis was violating the US sanctions.

UANI lawyers have reportedly told the court that they could not present certain documents requested by Restis as they would reveal secrets of the US government. The UANI group, which is managed and advised by former intelligence officials from the US, Europe and Israel, is believed to have access to secret US government files.

The US, the Israeli regime and some of their allies accuse Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with Washington and the European Union using the unfounded claim as a pretext to impose illegal sanctions on Iran in a bid to block foreign companies from doing business with the Islamic Republic.

HK