U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran’s historical sites violate civilizational identity
The following article was posted by the Tehran-based Islamic Republic News Agency on March 15, 2026.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, has stressed the fact that U.S.-Israeli attacks against museums and historical sites constitute an assault on part of Iran’s civilizational identity.
“Attacks against museums and historical sites constitute an assault on part of Iran’s civilizational identity and on cultural property protected under international law,” Gharibabadi wrote on his X account on Sunday, March 15.
“Damage to dozens of historical and cultural sites during the US-Israeli attacks shows that the scope of this aggression has extended to cultural heritage as well,” he added.
“This situation is a clear manifestation of the systematic violation of international law in its various dimensions by the U.S regime and the Israeli regime,” he noted.
Golestan Palace after it was damaged by U.S/Israeli strike on March 3, 2026 in Tehran
Earlier, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi thanked UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) for its prompt and responsible reaction to the bombing of Tehran’s Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
He expressed that “UNESCO will maintain a firm and principled stance against further attacks on cultural heritage,” including “historic monuments in Isfahan. Site protection is an international concern.”
In the U.S.-Israeli attacks against Iran, the aggressors have been bombing different parts of Tehran and other cities, which has resulted in damages to various Iranian historical sites, including Golestan Palace.
Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts has declared that at least 56 museums, historic buildings and cultural sites across the country were damaged following U.S.-Israeli military attacks, describing the move as a crime against Iran’s historical identity and humanity’s shared heritage.
