The International Court of Justice Friday maintained its jurisdiction after the United States contested its authority to oversee a recent lawsuit against the US government for withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal. The US imposed several sanctions on Iran after withdrawing from the agreement in May 2018.

The lawsuit says that the US has violated the Treaty of Amity, a treaty that was signed between both countries shortly after the 1953 Coup in Iran. The Iranian government alleged in particular that the US has breached several bilateral articles that guarantee protection, economic and tax-related assistance between the states.

The US government contested ICJ jurisdiction on the basis that the court stands outside the scope within Article XXI, paragraph 2 of the Treaty of Amity. The Court rebutted this contention, stating that just because the case has political underpinnings does not undermine the idea that there is a core legal issue at hand.

The US has rejected the jurisdiction and decisions of the ICJ for over 30 years. The US withdrew itself from being compulsory bound by ICJ’s decisions after the ICJ’s 1986 ruling against the US on the mining of Nicaraguan harbors.