
U.S. Courts Awarded $14.15 Billion against Iran and Syria in 59 Terrorism Judgments since 2015
Americans hurt by terrorism, and their families, can sue state sponsors of terrorism in U.S. courts. These are the damages federal judges have awarded against Iran and Syria since 2015, and what the court dockets show about payment.
None of the 84 dockets shows the award paid on the court docket. What the dockets show
103 damages opinions
84 dockets
59 judgments summed
The Attacks Behind the Awards
Each judgment begins with an attack. Here are three of them, in the words of the opinions that awarded damages.

The Cole back on duty after repairs, Pascagoula, Miss., September 2001. Photo: U.S. Navy, via DVIDS (public domain) USS Cole, Aden, Yemen, 2000
“…the October 12, 2000, terrorist bombing of the U.S.S. Cole (“the Cole”) in Yemen, which killed 17 U.S. Navy sailors and injured dozens of others.”
Gunn v. Islamic Republic of Iran, D.D.C. July 29, 2024
$1.96 billion awarded against Iran

Airmen clean the Khobar Towers memorial at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., June 2021. Photo: Staff Sgt. Joshua Hoskins, U.S. Air Force, via DVIDS (public domain) Khobar Towers, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 1996
“…The explosion killed nineteen American servicemembers and injured dozens of others.”
Gration v. Islamic Republic of Iran, D.D.C. Aug. 15, 2023
$571.5 million awarded against Iran

Gen. P.X. Kelley (left) and Col. Tim Geraghty (right) show Vice President George H.W. Bush the site two days after the bombing. Photo: Randy Gaddo, U.S. Department of Defense, via DVIDS (public domain) Marine Barracks, Beirut, Lebanon, 1983
“…the bombing of the United States Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon on October 23, 1983.”
Relvas v. Islamic Republic of Iran, D.D.C. Feb. 28, 2018
$920.1 million awarded against Iran
What the Dockets Show About Payment
No satisfaction of judgment appears on any of the 84 dockets in CourtListener's RECAP archive (search of Oct. 17, 2026). The search works: it found satisfaction filings on 27 other terrorism dockets against these defendants.
RECAP holds only filings users have retrieved from PACER, so a missing filing does not prove the award went unpaid. The U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (34 U.S.C. 20144) reports payments in aggregate, by distribution round, not by judgment. An award is a court finding of liability and an amount owed; it is not a payment.
Empty square: no satisfaction filing found Filled: satisfaction filed

How the Totals Are Built
Every figure is an award stated in a federal court opinion and checked word for word against its text. Sources, scope and rules
Federal court opinions that award damages against Iran and Syria, January 5, 2015 to October 17, 2026.
19 opinions share a docket with another opinion, so each docket is one row in the list.
27 give no total that matches the opinion text word for word; they are listed, not summed.
2 of the 57 dockets hold a second, separate award. These are the blocks in the chart.
Who the Awards Are Against
| Defendant | Share | Awarded | Judgments | No confirmed total (dockets) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12.71 billion | 54 | 26 | ||
| $1.87 billion | 9 | 4 | ||
| All defendants | $14.15 billion | 59 | 27 |
4 judgments ($0.44 billion) name both defendants. They appear under each defendant and once in the last row, so 54 and 9 make 63, not 59, and the amounts do not add down.
No confirmed total: dockets whose opinions give no total that matches the opinion text word for word. They are listed but not summed. 3 of them name both defendants, so the rows give 26 and 4 but the last row 27.

Where Each Figure Comes From
$428,500,000total damages against Iran, stated in the closing paragraph of Judge Beryl A. Howell's memorandum opinion (outlined in the scan)
That figure is the $428.5 million on the Jackson row below. Every total on this site is a sentence like it, matched word for word against the opinion text; where an opinion gives awards plaintiff by plaintiff with no total, nothing is summed.
Latest
- Jackson v. Islamic Republic of Iran $428.5M
- Namazi v. Islamic Republic of Iran $121.8M
- Dobbins v. Islamic Republic of Iran $129.0M
Judgments by Docket
Showing 25 of 57 dockets with a stated total; 27 without one are listed after them
Satisfaction None means no satisfaction of judgment appears on the docket in CourtListener's RECAP archive (search of Oct. 17, 2026). RECAP holds only filings users have retrieved from PACER, so this is not proof of non-payment.
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$428.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$121.8 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$129.0 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$7.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$14.2 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$11.2 millionDefendant SyriaSatisfaction None on docket
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$264.0 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$201.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$15.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$5.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$1.68 billionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$364.0 millionDefendant SyriaSatisfaction None on docket
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$1.96 billionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$34.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$22.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$48.1 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$68.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$6.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$571.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$321.0 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$3.3 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$90.0 millionSatisfaction None on docket
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$600.9 millionDefendant SyriaSatisfaction None on docket
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$268.6 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$111.5 millionSatisfaction None on docket
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$34.8 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$282.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$325.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$108.9 millionDefendant SyriaSatisfaction None on docket
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$55.0 millionSatisfaction None on docket
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$273.0 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$11.2 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$15.0 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$387.6 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$1.46 billionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$18.7 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$73.9 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$100.7 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$45.3 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$10.0 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$240.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$47.2 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$10.1 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$892.8 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$13.1 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$104.7 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$36.4 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$191.9 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$920.1 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$63.5 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$208.9 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$30.0 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$178.5 millionSatisfaction None on docket
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$169.4 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$347.6 millionDefendant SyriaSatisfaction None on docket
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$131.2 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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$20.3 millionDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
27 dockets with no total confirmed against the opinion text yet
Totals sum confirmed figures only. Some of these opinions give awards plaintiff by plaintiff with no aggregate; in others a proposed total did not match the opinion text word for word and awaits a second check. Open the opinion for the figures.
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Per plaintiff, no aggregateDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedSatisfaction None on docket
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Per plaintiff, no aggregateDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Per plaintiff, no aggregateDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Per plaintiff, no aggregateDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Per plaintiff, no aggregateDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Per plaintiff, no aggregateSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant SyriaSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Total not confirmedDefendant IranSatisfaction None on docket
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Data: judgments.json · judgments.csv