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 US Treasury Department eight days before the Islamic Emirate returned to power in August 2021.

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.

Ariana Afghan Airlines has ended a nearly 15-year arrangement under which a Pakistani company, Zapways, controlled the airline’s ticketing, operational systems and website, the airline said.

Ariana’s press office said Zapways had managed the airline’s ticketing and operational systems for years despite charging high fees. It added that technical information and data related to the systems were also held by the Pakistani company.

The airline said it has now launched a new system in cooperation with a Turkish company whose modern and standardized services are used by more than 80 international airlines across Europe, Asia and Africa.

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.