From Tehran to Moscow: the ICJ’s 2023 Certain Iranian Assets judgment and its broader ramifications for unilateral sanctions, including against Russia

On 30 March 2023, the International Court of Justice delivered its judgment on the merits in the Certain Iranian Assets case brought by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the United States. This article takes a closer look at the reasoning adopted by the Court, while zooming in on noteworthy findings of interest for international law. In addition, it examines the potential ramifications of the judgment at a time when unilateral sanctions are increasingly prevalent and far-reaching. In particular, we examine what the judgment holds in store for the pending 1955 Treaty of Amity case between the same two protagonists, as well as for the unprecedented range of unilateral sanctions adopted against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.