The Diplomatic and Consular Staff Case (U.S. v. Iran)
International Court of Justice
1980 I.C.J. 3
In November 1979, militants invaded the U.S. embassy in Tehran, took its diplomatic and consular staff hostage, and damaged the embassy and its documents, while Iranian forces delayed for hours and made no effort to free the hostages once they arrived. Iran then endorsed holding the hostages until the U.S. returned the former Shah for trial. The U.S. filed suit before the ICJ alleging violations of the Vienna Conventions and a bilateral treaty of amity; Iran declined to formally participate, submitting only letters arguing the ICJ shouldn't hear the case because the crisis stemmed from years of American interference in Iran.
Whether the International Court of Justice retains jurisdiction to decide a dispute when a state that previously consented to its jurisdiction declines to formally participate in the proceedings.