Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of Shurat HaDin, Israel Law Center, speaks during the conference “Towards a New Law of War” at the Dan Hotel Jerusalem on May 5, 2015. Photo: Hadas Parush/Flash90.

JNS.org – American victims of terrorism have filed a civil-court case against the European Investment Bank (EIB) for maintaining financial ties with Iran, a country accused of providing financial support for terror acts around the world.

The families are being represented by the Shurat HaDin Israeli legal advocacy organization.

“Iran is a state that finances and carries out terrorism,” Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the president and founder of Shurat HaDin, said in a statement. “No bank in the Western world can carry on business with Iran as long as Iran continues to support murderous terrorist attacks, and as long as the Iranian regime refuses to pay out the judgments awarded against it on behalf of victims of terror.”

According to Shurat HaDin, there are more than $43 billion in unresolved legal verdicts that the Iranian regime refuses to pay to terror victims, though at the same time it pays a steady stream of funds to terrorists. The organization is asking the court to turn over Iranian funds held by EIB to pay the court-ordered judgements.

“If the European Investment Bank continues to do business with Iran, funds sent to Iran through the EIB will also be used to directly finance terrorism,” said Darshan-Leitner.  “We will pursue the Iranian regime until it takes responsibility for its horrific actions and compensates the victims of its terrorism as ordered by the US courts.”