US judge: Iran must pay Nachshon Wachsman's family $25 million

A US judge on Friday ordered Iran to pay $25 million plus interest to the family of soldier Nachshon Wachsman, who was kidnapped and executed by Hamas in 1994. Wachsman was a 19-year-old US citizen and IDF corporal when he was taken by four members of Hamas. His abduction damaged Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations at the time, as he pleaded on videotape for his life. Wachsman's mother and six brothers filed the lawsuit in 2006 against Iran and its ministry of information and security, saying Teheran was responsible for the death because it provided training and support to Hamas. Iran has refused to respond to the lawsuit, resulting in a default judgment in favor of Wachsman's family.