WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is preventing survivors of a 1997 terrorist attack from seizing Persian artifacts at a Chicago museum to help pay a $71.5 million default judgment against Iran.

The court ruled 8-0 Wednesday against US victims of a Jerusalem suicide bombing. They want to lay claim to artifacts that were loaned by Iran to the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute more than 80 years ago.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the court that a provision of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act does not support the victims’ case. That federal law generally protects foreign countries’ property in the United States but makes exceptions when countries support extremist groups.

The victims argued that Iran provided training and support to Hamas, which carried out the attack. Iran has refused to pay.

The artifacts in question are 30,000 clay tablets and fragments containing ancient writings known as the Persepolis Collection.

associated press