An Iranian court said it has ordered the United States government to pay more than $22 billion in damages for what it described as support for protesters during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement, state media reported on Tuesday.
The verdict, announced by Tehran’s civil court, was described by state media as stemming from a lawsuit filed by 607 people said to be families of those killed or injured during the unrest that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.
The court accused Washington of providing “financial and moral backing” to what Iranian officials call “rioters.”
Iran’s judiciary said the US actions violated the country’s sovereignty and international law. The ruling cited several Iranian laws addressing what Tehran terms “terrorist or subversive acts” by the United States.
According to the court, the damages include $5.8 billion in material losses, $11.6 billion for moral damages, and billions more in punitive payments, totaling more than $22 billion.
The judgment is largely symbolic since Iranian court rulings against the United States are not enforceable abroad. Similar verdicts in past years have served as political statements amid strained relations between Tehran and Washington.
'Woman, Life, Freedom'
The Woman, Life, Freedom movement began after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of Iran’s morality police in September 2022. Her death sparked months of nationwide protests demanding greater freedoms and an end to compulsory hijab laws.
Rights groups say hundreds were killed and thousands detained in the crackdown that followed. Iranian authorities have blamed the United States and Israel for inciting the unrest—allegations Washington denies.
A UN fact-finding mission later concluded that Iran’s security forces committed crimes against humanity during the protests.
The mission said it found evidence that state agents were responsible for the “physical violence” that led to Amini’s death and the killing of at least 551 protesters, including 49 women and 68 children. It also documented cases of rape and other sexual violence against women and girls in custody.
Senior clerics have since framed women who refuse to wear the headscarf as acting under foreign influence. In a recent sermon, Tehran’s Friday prayer leader Ahmad Khatami said defiance of the hijab amounted to collaboration with Israel and the United States.
Despite such rhetoric, many women continue to appear unveiled in public spaces, and enforcement of dress codes has weakened.
Iranian media last week reported police raided a film star’s home in Tehran, detaining more than 20 people and seizing homemade alcohol – contraband under Iranian law – with several attendees later freed on undertakings or bail.
“In today’s Iran, no one outside the ruling inner circle is safe from state intrusion—even as officials enjoy lavish parties of their own, laying bare the hypocrisy behind what they call upholding values... While officials claim to defend Islamic values, their real objective is absolute control over society,” read the post.
Authorities frequently announce closures and arrests tied to alcohol, mixed-gender events or dress-code enforcement as part of broader morality crackdowns, according to state-aligned and independent outlets.
Panahi – one of Iran’s most acclaimed directors and a recent Palme d’Or winner at Cannes – has faced recurring curbs on his work and movement over the past decade.
Alcohol has been banned in Iran since 1979, with violations punishable by fines, lashings or prison, and tougher penalties for production and distribution.
Publicized raids on cafés and private venues have increased in recent years, while rights groups and local officials periodically report poisonings from unregulated liquor in the underground market.
Iranian officials say strict enforcement upholds Islamic norms and deters smuggling; critics argue decades of prohibition have pushed consumption into riskier, unregulated channels.