US axes 1955 treaty with Iran

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Wednesday the U.S. is terminating the 1955 Treaty of Amity with Iran, after Tehran took Washington to the UN's principal court for alleged violations of the international pact.

"Iran is attempting to interfere with the sovereign rights of the United States to take the lawful actions necessary to protect our national security, and Iran is abusing the ICJ for political and propaganda purposes," he told reporters at the State Department, referring to the International Court of Justice. "Their case, as you can see from the decision, lacked merit."

The treaty, which was signed in Tehran, governs consular and economic relations between the U.S. and Iran. It entered into force in 1957 after being ratified that same year.