Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Iran has filed a formal complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to recover assets frozen in the U.S.

The UN court in the Hague said on June 15 that the claim had been filed the day before, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran officially complained about America to the International Court of Justice for the confiscation and theft of two billion dollars of the property of the central bank,” Reuters quoted Rouhani as saying on Wednesday.

“We shouldn't stay quiet in the face of this incident … and we will pursue this complaint until it reaches a result," Rouhani said.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on April 20 that about 2$ billion of Iran’s frozen assets must be turned over to American families of people killed in the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut and other attacks blamed on Iran. The Islamic Republic has denied any role in the attack.

In April, Rouhani called seizure of Iran’s assets by the U.S. a “theft” and “legal scandal”.

“The government, on behalf of the Iranian nation, has spared no effort to uphold the nation’s right and will follow this path until reaching a result,” he said.

Also, in an interview with the New Yorker published in April, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, ““It is a theft. Huge theft. It is highway robbery. And believe you me, we will get it back.”

NA/