Iran to sue US, Israel over attacks on cultural heritage, deputy FM says

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says Tehran will pursue legal action against the United States and Israel over attacks on dozens of historic sites and cultural monuments during the recent conflict involving the Islamic Republic.

In a post published on X on Sunday, Gharibabadi described the attacks on Iranian cultural heritage as an assault on humanity’s shared historical memory, saying those who sacrificed “the history of the great Iranian nation” for political and military objectives must be held accountable, News.Az reports, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.

“Iran's cultural heritage is not merely the national asset of Iranians; it is part of the shared memory of humanity. The Islamic Republic of Iran will register and document this aggression against its cultural heritage and will pursue it within the framework of international responsibility,” the diplomat said.

According to Gharibabadi, the United States and Israel targeted at least 149 historic sites and museums across 20 Iranian provinces during what he described as aggression that began on 28 February and ended 39 days later under a ceasefire agreement.

He said five of the affected sites were protected under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

“According to UNESCO’s 1954 Hague Convention and the fundamental rules of international humanitarian law, cultural property must be respected and protected during armed conflicts,” he said.

“The damage to Iran's cultural heritage during the recent aggression indicates that the scope of the violations committed goes beyond the prohibition of the use of force and the protection of civilians, and has also targeted the historical and civilisational memory of the Iranian nation.”

Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts estimates that repairs to the damaged heritage sites would cost around 70 trillion rials (approximately $39 million).

News.Az