Iran ordered to pay

Washington: A US court has ordered the Government of Iran to pay more than $US1.4 billion in punitive and compensatory damages to the family of a former FBI agent who disappeared during a visit to an Iranian island in March 2007.

In a decision issued late last week, US District Judge Timothy Kelly said he adopted a special expert’s recommendation that Robert Levinson’s family be awarded

$US107 million in compensatory damages. The judge awarded punitive damages of $US1.3 billion.

A spokesman for Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment. — Reuters