Ahmadinejad writes to Obama to 'fix' Supreme Court ruling
Ahmadinejad writes to Obama to 'fix' Supreme Court ruling
Iran's controversial former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has asked Barack Obama to 'quickly fix' a ruling by a US high court entitling victims of the 1983 Beirut bombings to Iranian compensation.
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Ahmadinejad has appeared at the funeral of an Iranian militiaman killed in Syria [AFP]
Iran's ultra-conservative former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has asked US President Barack Obama to "quickly fix" a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote to Obama saying that April's ruling allowing families of US marines killed in the 1983 bomb attacks on a Beirut military base to claim damages from frozen Iranian funds.
This, he says, could cost his country some $2 billion.
The attack claimed the lives of 305 people - mostly American servicemen - and US courts have ruled that Iran and Hizballah were likely responsible for the attack.
"I passionately advise you not to let the historical defamation and bitter incident be recorded under your name," he wrote in the letter published on a website affiliated with Ahmadinejad's office.
The former president said he gave the letter to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which represents US interests in Iran. Embassy officials declined to comment.
The letter comes amid speculation that Ahmadinejad could make a surprise .
The controversial leader oversaw a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters following Ahmadinejad's election win in 2009 which opponents viewed as "fraudulent".
Meanwhile, conservatives have entrenching their power in the regime and looking to sideline the more progressive administration of President Hassan Rouhani.
Agencies contributed to this story.
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