WORLD IN BRIEF : THE HAGUE : U.S. Told to Pay Iran for Withheld Assets

An international tribunal has notified the United States that it must either deliver Iranian property held since the 1979 revolution or compensate Tehran for their loss. The ruling was made by the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal--the only official forum for contact between the two countries. The items, which were ordered and paid for, include fossils, a Stradivarius violin and nuclear fuel. They are estimated to be worth several million dollars. None of the items has military value except the fuel, which could not be shipped to Iran because Washington still considers it a terrorist state. The United States is expected to comply with the ruling.