At least 56 museums, historical sites damaged by US-Israeli aggression: Ministry

At least 56 museums and historical monuments, including world heritage sites, have been damaged by the US-Israeli aggression, Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts says.

In a report published on Saturday, regarding the state of Iran’s cultural and historical monuments since the start of the US-Israeli aggression, the ministry said numerous museums and historically and culturally significant locations have been damaged.

According to the ministry, at least 19 locations in the capital, Tehran, including Golestan Palace, have been damaged by the attacks.

In western Iran, in Kurdistan Province, at least 12 locations, including world heritage sites, have been damaged by the US-Israeli aggression.

In central Iran, in Isfahan Province, several world heritage monuments, including Chehel Sotoon and Naqshe Jahan Square, have been targeted.

In Lorestan and Kermanshah provinces, several historical buildings have been damaged during the aggression.

In Siraf Port, in Bushehr Province, several historical monuments have been damaged during the strikes.

In western Iran, in Ilam Province, the Museum of Archeology, which houses numerous historical artifacts, has been targeted by the aggression.

In a post on X on Thursday, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sayyed Abbas Araghchi, condemned the US-Israeli attacks against Iran’s cultural and historical heritage.

“Israel is bombing Iranian historical monuments dating as far back as the 14th century. Multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites have been struck,” he wrote.

“It is natural that a regime that will not last a century hates nations with ancient pasts. But where is UNESCO? Its silence is unacceptable,” he added.

World cannot remain silent as US and Israel attack ‘heritage of humankind’: Iran

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has condemned an attack by the United States and Israel on a historic site of Isfahan, saying the strike constitutes a crime against cultural heritage.

According to the 1954 Hague Convention, the 1977 Geneva Conventions, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and established international law, any attack on historical sites and cultural heritage in Iran is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and a clear example of a war crime.

The US and Israeli armed forces began their military aggression against Iran in late February by attacking 30 targets across Tehran, killing several senior Iranian officials, including the Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei.

Since then, Iranian armed forces have swiftly and decisively retaliated against the strikes by launching barrages of missiles and drones against Israeli-occupied territories as well as on US bases in the region.

According to Iran’s Ministry of Defense, Iran’s military has killed at least 600 American troops in various US bases since the start of the aggression.

Iranian officials have stated that targeting US military bases in the region constitutes “legitimate self-defense.”

Referring to Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, they said that Iran has the legal right to defend itself against “acts of aggression” by the US or the Israeli regime.

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