The attorneys general of 30 US states have asked the US Supreme Court to review a case involving around $3.5 billion in frozen assets of Da Afghanistan Bank that victims and families of the September 11 attacks are seeking to use for compensation.

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office said in a statement on Monday that the states filed a brief with the Supreme Court in support of the victims and their families, who have obtained compensation judgments in US federal courts.

According to the office, after years of legal proceedings, the victims and their families have secured nearly $17 billion in court-ordered compensation.

However, the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that around $3.5 billion in assets belonging to Afghanistan’s central bank cannot be used to satisfy those compensation awards.

The assets were frozen by the U.S. Treasury Department on August 15, 2021, the day the Islamic Emirate entered Kabul.

The state attorneys general argue that US law allows the frozen assets to be used to satisfy court-ordered compensation.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said the victims and their families had pursued justice and compensation through the US legal system and should be able to access the money awarded to them by the courts.

This comes as the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly called for the release of Da Afghanistan Bank assets.

Afghanistan and Iran discussed expanding economic, political and trade ties, with Tehran offering to cooperate on major infrastructure and development projects, including the construction of the Herat-Mazar-e-Sharif railway.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry said its Deputy Minister for Finance and Administration, Mohammad Naeem, met with Hamid Qanbari, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy, to discuss bilateral relations, economic cooperation and ways to make better use of existing opportunities.

The two sides also discussed challenges facing Afghan migrants in Iran and ways to facilitate visa procedures, as well as closer cooperation on migration-related issues.

According to the ministry, Qanbari said Iran is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in the construction of the Herat-Mazar-e-Sharif railway, mining and electricity generation.

Naeem described the expansion of economic relations between the two countries as important and stressed the need for joint efforts and cooperation in this area.

Iran’s Embassy in Kabul also said the two officials discussed expanding economic and trade cooperation, particularly in developing and strengthening infrastructure, including the Herat-Mazar-e-Sharif railway.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on Monday rejected arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against four senior IEA leaders, saying Afghanistan does not recognize the court or its decisions.

The ICC unsealed arrest warrants for IEA supreme leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, head of Afghanistan’s Supreme Court Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Education Minister Habibullah Agha and Higher Education Minister Neda Mohammad Nadim.

The court accused the four officials of persecution on gender grounds against women, girls.

IEA government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the ICC’s decision, saying Afghanistan does not recognize any court operating under the title of the “International Court.”

“Afghanistan does not recognize any court under the title of the ‘International Court,’ nor does it attach any significance to its positions,” Mujahid said in a statement.

“Thankfully, the leaders of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have committed no act that would make them liable to arrest or punishment by any court,” he said.

“We are bound by the rulings of Islamic Sharia and its courts, not by intelligence entities or so-called courts,” Mujahid added.

The ICC said the warrants against Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada and Haqqani were issued in July and September last year, while the warrants against Agha and Nadim were also issued last year.

The existence of the warrants against Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada and Haqqani had been disclosed previously, but the documents remained sealed until Monday.