‘Hard, Incontrovertible Evidence of Who Funded Hamas’: American Victims of October 7 Sue Iran in U.S. Court

Latest Developments

• Documents Reveal Iranian Involvement in October 7 Massacre: Equipped with newly-discovered documents demonstrating Iran’s involvement in Hamas’s atrocities of October 7, 2023, American families of the attack’s victims sued Iran in the U.S. District Court in Washington on November 17. “Hard, incontrovertible evidence of who funded Hamas is now becoming available … and we intend to hold those parties accountable, in the courts of the United States or elsewhere, for however long it takes,” the lawyers for the plaintiffs said in a statement.

• American Victims of October 7 Slaughter: The plaintiffs in the case include the families of Americans who were killed, injured, or suffered psychologically during the Hamas onslaught in southern Israel. Forty-six Americans were among the more than 1,200 killed during the attack, while 12 U.S. citizens were among the more than 250 hostages kidnapped and forcibly taken to Gaza.  

• Iranian Proxies and IRGC Named as Defendants: In addition to Iran, the lawsuit names Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine as defendants. The IRGC played a key role in coordinating key planning meetings in Lebanon between senior leaders and Hamas and Hezbollah to “finalize details for the attack.”

FDD Expert Response

“The October 7 massacre is part of a long list of Iranian-sponsored terrorist attacks. U.S. federal courts have, over the last three decades, issued over 90 judgments finding the Iranian government and its officials liable for acts of terrorism that claimed American victims. As a result, these victims’ families hold over $50 billion in outstanding federal court judgments against Iranian government entities and officials, including over $1 billion in damages against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself. The incoming U.S. administration could do more to help these American victims to use these judgments to seize Iranian assets in foreign countries. Doing so would both compensate the American victims and make it harder for the Iranian regime to continue sponsoring such atrocities.” — Orde Kittrie, Senior Fellow

“The evidence in this suit should put an end to assertions that the Islamic Republic of Iran had no prior knowledge or involvement in the October 7 massacre that murdered and kidnapped scores of American citizens. It raises the question of whether the United States is truly using every instrument of American power to unambiguously convey to Tehran, Qatar, Turkey, South Africa, and others who have supported Hamas that there are heavy financial, policy, and reputational consequences for doing so. These consequences should be serious enough to deter them from continuing their support of Hamas and other proxies. Americans deserve nothing less.” — Toby Dershowitz, Managing Director of FDD Action

“From day one, the Biden administration attempted to downplay Iran’s connection to October 7 in order to politically insulate its continued policies of accommodation toward Tehran. From keeping banking accounts open and accessible to letting oil exports to China continue to flow unimpeded to avoiding the snapback of UN sanctions, Iran has avoided any consequences for its role on October 7. With Americans dead and seven still held hostage, it’s long past time to hold Tehran accountable.” — Richard Goldberg, Senior Advisor

FDD Background and Analysis

“Iran Still Owes $53 Billion in Unpaid U.S. Court Judgments to American Victims of Iranian Terrorism,” by Orde Kittrie

“American October 7 Victims File U.S. Lawsuit Against Iran, Syria and North Korea,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israeli Victims of Hamas October 7 Atrocities File Lawsuit in New York Against UNRWA,” FDD Flash Brief