Edwin Marian Johnston hold up a photo of her son US Marine CPL Edward Johnston who died in the bombing of his Lebanon barracks in 1983 outside Federal Court September 7, 2007 in Washington, DC.

The Supreme Court on Monday tossed out a decision by a federal appeals court in New York that would have allowed families of those killed in the 1983 attack on U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, to move forward in collecting claims against Iran's central bank worth $1.68 billion.

The top court sent the case back to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, directing the lower court to consider a defense spending bill President Donald Trump signed late last year that could make it easier for American courts to collect foreign assets.

The move comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Iran last week carried out strikes against American forces in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of the country's top general, Qasem Soleimani, on Jan. 3.

The case was brought by victims of Iran-sponsored terror attacks, including the 1983 Beirut bombing, who have already won judgments against the country entitling them to billions of dollars in compensation. The Iran-linked truck bombing on international forces that year left 241 Americans dead.