Iran to sue US, Israel for attacks on its cultural heritage: Deputy FM

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says the country will launch legal action against the United States and the Israeli regime for their attacks on dozens of historic sites and cultural monuments during the recent joint aggression against the Islamic Republic. 

In a Sunday post on his X account, Gharibabadi described the US-Israeli attacks on Iranian cultural heritage as an assault on shared human memory, saying those sacrificing “the history of the great Iranian nation” for their political and military objectives must be held accountable.

“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,” said the diplomat.

He said that the US and the Israeli regime had attacked at least 149 historic sites and museums in 20 Iranian provinces during the recent aggression that began on February 28 and was stopped as part of a ceasefire 39 days later.

US-Israeli terrorist war damaged 150 Iranian historical, cultural sites: Ministry

The Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage says about 150 historical monuments and museums have been damaged across various parts of the country during the US-Israeli aggression.

Gharibabadi said five of the sites attacked were under the protection of the United Nations cultural agency (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 civilizational memory of the Iranian nation."

The Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts estimates that repairing the heritage sites attacked during the US-Israeli aggression would cost the country some 70 trillion rials (nearly $39 million).

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