IRAN PLANS TO FILE LAWSUITS OVER U.S. RAIDIran is preparing lawsuits to file forcompensation from the U.S. Over the American raid on its Gulfoil platforms, Tehran radio quoted Iranian Oil MinisterGholamreza Aqazadeh as saying.The lawsuits would be filed with competent internationalbodies once the exact damage was calculated, he was quotedtelling a news conference in Tehran. He earlier estimated thedamage from the U.S. Raid at about 500 mln dlrs.The rigs, one of which was heavily shelled by four Americandestroyers on Monday, were still burning almost 24 hours afterthe attack, he said.Aqazadeh said the half-billion-dollar damage estimate waspreliminary. Washington has said the attack was in response toa missile strike against the American-flag tanker the Sea IsleCity in Kuwaiti waters on Friday.He denied that there was any military hardware on the rigs"except a 23 mm machinegun for air defence." Reacting toWeinberger's remark that Washington considered the case closed,Aqazadeh said: "Iran will also consider the case closed afterits retaliatory measure." Iranian officials have said theirresponse would not be limited to the Gulf and U.S. Interestsaround the world might come under attack.Aqazadeh said the U.S. Military presence in the Gulfaggravated the regional crisis and made access to the region'soil more difficult, but he did not see the U.S. Attacksignificantly affecting oil prices.IRNA said he gave no explicit reply when asked if theattack would prompt Iran to block the Hormuz Strait at theentrance to the Gulf."If Iran cannot use the Hormuz Strait, no other country caneither, and this would be to everyone's harm," the radio quotedhim as saying.