IRAN PLANS TO FILE LAWSUITS OVER U.S. RAID
  Iran is preparing lawsuits to file for
  compensation from the U.S. Over the American raid on its Gulf
  oil platforms, Tehran radio quoted Iranian Oil Minister
  Gholamreza Aqazadeh as saying.
      The lawsuits would be filed with competent international
  bodies once the exact damage was calculated, he was quoted
  telling a news conference in Tehran. He earlier estimated the
  damage from the U.S. Raid at about 500 mln dlrs.
      The rigs, one of which was heavily shelled by four American
  destroyers on Monday, were still burning almost 24 hours after
  the attack, he said.
      Aqazadeh said the half-billion-dollar damage estimate was
  preliminary. Washington has said the attack was in response to
  a missile strike against the American-flag tanker the Sea Isle
  City in Kuwaiti waters on Friday.
      He denied that there was any military hardware on the rigs
  "except a 23 mm machinegun for air defence." Reacting to
  Weinberger's remark that Washington considered the case closed,
  Aqazadeh said: "Iran will also consider the case closed after
  its retaliatory measure." Iranian officials have said their
  response would not be limited to the Gulf and U.S. Interests
  around the world might come under attack.
      Aqazadeh said the U.S. Military presence in the Gulf
  aggravated the regional crisis and made access to the region's
  oil more difficult, but he did not see the U.S. Attack
  significantly affecting oil prices.
      IRNA said he gave no explicit reply when asked if the
  attack would prompt Iran to block the Hormuz Strait at the
  entrance to the Gulf.
      "If Iran cannot use the Hormuz Strait, no other country can
  either, and this would be to everyone's harm," the radio quoted
  him as saying.
  

