Tehran Plans Legal Action Over Damage to Heritage Sites

(MENAFN) Iran intends to pursue legal action against the United States and Israel over strikes that allegedly damaged Iranian cultural and historical locations, according to statements from senior Iranian official Kazem Gharibabadi.

The announcement comes despite a fragile ceasefire reached earlier in April following weeks of intense fighting involving Iran, the US, and Israel. Indirect negotiations have since failed to produce progress, with both Tehran and Washington continuing to reject each other’s conditions.

In a statement shared on social media, Gharibabadi said bombardments carried out by the US and Israel caused damage to at least 149 museums and historical landmarks across 20 Iranian provinces, including five sites recognized by UNESCO.

He stated that Iranian authorities “will register, document, and pursue this assault on its cultural heritage within the framework of international responsibility; for it will allow no power to sacrifice the history of the great Iranian nation to its military and political objectives of today.”

Gharibabadi stressed that international law, including the 1954 Hague Convention and broader humanitarian principles, requires the protection of cultural landmarks during armed conflicts.

“Iran’s cultural heritage is not merely a national asset of the Iranian people; it is part of humanity’s shared memory,” he said.

Iran’s cultural legacy traces back to the ancient Achaemenid Empire, one of the earliest and most influential civilizations in world history.

The deputy foreign minister further described the strikes on heritage locations as “a clear manifestation of the lawless behavior of the American regime and the Zionist regime.”

According to previous estimates from Iran’s Culture Ministry, restoration work for the damaged sites could cost around 70 trillion rials, equivalent to nearly $39 million.

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