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RBC account 00006-1089978

Scotia Bank account 400060030112

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A judge has frozen more than a dozen Canadian bank accounts linked to the government of Iran at the request of victims trying to collect damages from the Islamic republic over its sponsorship of Middle East terror groups.

The list of Iran’s accounts and other state assets in Canada was disclosed last week by the Department of Foreign Affairs in an effort to help victims hold Tehran responsible for financing, training and arming Hezbollah and Hamas.

The five-page decision by Justice David Brown of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ordered banks to lock down the 14 Royal Bank, Scotiabank, CIBC and BMO accounts named by Foreign Affairs, which contain at least $2.6-million.

Banks were given until Friday to disclose the names of the account holders and their contact information to lawyers representing the victims. On Sept. 30, the lawyers are scheduled to return to court to ask for a default judgment against Iran.

In a similar case in New York, a U.S. judge ruled on Monday that federal authorities could seize a 36-storey Fifth Avenue office tower worth $500- to $700-million from its owners, the Alavi Foundation and Assa Company, fronts for the Iranian regime. Tenants include Juicy Couture and Godiva, the New York Daily News reported.

The Ontario court order is the latest fallout from legislation enacted last year that allows victims of terrorism committed anywhere in the world since Jan. 1, 1985 to seek redress through Canadian courts.