Summary of the Order of 15 December 1979

Summaries of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders of the Internationa
l Court of Justice
Not an official document

CASECONCERNIPIJ UGNITEDSTATES DIPL0MM"I'C ANDCONSULAR
STAFFINTEHRAN(PROVISIONALMEASURES)

Order,of 15December 1979

TheCourtunanimouslymade anOrder indicatingprovi- should, asfromthat momenaffo odallthediplomaticand
sionalmeasures to theeffect that,pending theCourt'sfconsularersonnelof the UnitedStates the full protection,
decisioninthecaseconcerningUnitedStatesDiplomaticandprivilegesand imnlunitiesto whichtareentitledunder
ConsularStaffinTehran: the treatiesin force!betweenthetwo States,andundereen-
A. (i) TheGovernmentoftheIslamicRepublicofIran eralinternationalla.w,includingimmunityfrom anyf& of
shouldimmediatelyensurethat the premisf the United territoryofIran;tion andfreedomandfacilitiesto leave the
States Embassy,Chancery andConsulatesbe restored to
the possessionof the United States autharitiesunder their TheGovernmentoftheUnitedStatesofAmericaand
exclusive control, and should ensure their inviolabitake anyaction and shouldensure that no action is taken
and effectiveprotectionas providedfor by the treatiewhichmay aggravaltethe tensionbetweenthetwocountries
forcebetweenthe two States, and byc:ralinternationalorrenderthexistingdisputemoredifficultofsolution.
law;
(ii) The Governmentof the IslamicXepublicof Iran
shouldensuretheimmediaterelease,withany exception,
of all personsof UnitedStates nationalitywhoareor have
beenheldintheEmbassyoftheUnitedStatesofAmericaor
in the Ministryof ForeignAffairsin Tehfiin,or have beeForthepurposesof itsOrder,the Courtwas composedas
such persons, in accordance with the treaties in forcellows:PresidentSir HumphreyWaldock, Vice-President
betweenthetwoStates,and withgeneralinternationallaw;Elias, Judges Forster,s, Lachs,Morozov, Nagendra
Singh, Ruda, Mosller,Tarazi, Oda,Ago, El-Erian, Sette-
(iii) The Governmentof the IslamicRepublicof Iran CarnaraandBaxter.