Reuters - Iran�s central bank said on Saturday it was taking legal steps to counter a lawsuit filed in a U.S. court by creditors seeking to seize $1.7 billion of its assets held by Deutsche Boerse�s (DB1Gn.DE) Clearstream unit.

The German stock exchange operator said earlier the creditors had filed the suit in a New York court seeking to require Clearstream to surrender assets that allegedly belong to Iran�s central bank. It said the clearing house considers the claims to be unfounded and will take steps to defeat them.

Amir Hossein Tayyebi Fard, a deputy governor of the Iranian central bank, said in a statement: �After repeated legal defeats in Luxembourg, the U.S. plaintiffs are seeking legal action in U.S. courts against Clearstream. Serious legal action is also underway to counter these measures.�

Tayyebi Fard did not give details of the bank�s legal measures to prevent a seizure of the assets which he said were worth $1.7 billion, according to the statement posted on the bank�s website.

U.S. authorities have targeted Luxembourg-based Clearstream for years in an investigation over whether it violated U.S. money laundering and Iran sanction laws. Deutsche Boerse has denied wrongdoing.

In 2019, a Luxembourg court refused to enforce a U.S. ruling that would have helped families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks claim Iranian assets held with Clearstream.

In 2012, a New York court found there was evidence to show that Iran provided �material support and resources to al Qaeda for acts of terrorism�. The militant group carried out the hijacked plane attacks on New York and Washington.

That court awarded the plaintiffs damages of over $7 billion. Iran denies any links to Al Qaeda or any involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks.