Iran orders US to pay compensation for slain nuke scientists

By NASSER KARIMI
Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A court in Iran has ordered the United States government to pay over $4 billion to the families of Iranian nuclear scientists who have been killed in targeted attacks in recent years. The largely symbolic ruling on Thursday underscores the escalating tensions between Iran and the West over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. Negotiations to restore the tattered atomic accord have been at a standstill. Tehran has blamed Israel in the past for slayings targeting Iranian nuclear scientists a decade ago. It’s unclear how the court decision, like previous Iranian cases against the U.S. as the two sides have engaged in an escalation of threats, would gain traction.