Iran slams US seizure of New York skyscraper to pay compensation to victims of Tehran-backed terror

Iran has labelled a US government decision to seize a Manhattan skyscraper housing an Iranian and Persian cultural centre as a violation of religious freedom. The building was confiscated after a US federal court judge ruled last year the not-for-profit Alavi Foundation, which chiefly owns the building, was deliberately “shielding and concealing“ Iranian national assets. The proceedings from the sale of 36-storey, Fifth Avenue building will go to families affected by Iranian-aided attacks, including the 1983 bombing of a Beirut US marine barracks that killed over 300 people.