Is the US-Israel Campaign Damaging Iran’s Cultural Heritage? Tehran Says It Is

Tehran has raised the alarm after what it describes as widespread damage to Iran’s cultural and historic places during the US and Israeli campaign that began on February 28. The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts told state media that at least 56 museums, historic monuments and cultural sites have been harmed since the fighting started.

Which Iranian heritage sites were hit?

The ministry said the worst damage was in Tehran, where 19 locations were affected. Officials named Golestan Palace, the Grand Bazaar and the former Senate building among those hit. Other provinces with reported damage include Isfahan, Kurdistan, Lorestan, Kermanshah, Bushehr and Ilam.

Notable places reported damaged include parts of Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and historic complexes and museums in Sanandaj, Khorramabad and Siraf. In Lorestan, the Falak-ol-Aflak Castle sustained damage though the main structure reportedly remained intact.

Golestan Palace dates from the Qajar era, which ran from 1789 to 1925. It is a walled complex that mixes Persian craftsmanship with some European influences, and its name means flower garden. Video footage published by news agencies showed smashed mirrored ceiling panels, broken archways, blown-out windows and damaged ornaments inside the palace.

Other landmarks named in the ministry statement were Tehran’s historic Grand Bazaar and the centuries-old monuments of Naqsh-e Jahan Square, a complex that dates back to the early 17th century and contains major mosques and palaces.

What does international law say?

The Cultural Heritage Ministry cited international law, including the 1954 Hague Convention and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2347, which condemn attacks on cultural property. The Hague Convention aims to protect art, architecture and historic sites during conflict. The United States, Israel and Iran are all parties to that treaty, and the Security Council resolution, passed in 2017, condemns unlawful destruction of cultural heritage.

Both the United States and Israel say their strikes are aimed at military targets. Critics, including international rights groups, say civilian infrastructure and cultural sites have been struck. Amnesty International said a US-made Tomahawk missile was likely used in an attack on an Iranian primary school on February 28 that killed at least 170 people, most of them children. Rights groups and Iranian authorities say that, in total, more than 1,400 people have been killed in the US-Israel strikes on Iran so far.

What has UNESCO confirmed?

UNESCO has said it has verified damage to several Iranian heritage sites. Confirmed damage includes Golestan Palace and two Isfahan buildings: the 17th century Chehel Sotoun Palace and the Masjed-e Jame, Iran’s oldest Friday mosque. The UN agency has also verified damage to buildings near the Khorramabad Valley, an area that contains prehistoric caves and evidence of human occupation dating back tens of thousands of years.

UNESCO said it provided the geographic coordinates of heritage sites to all parties before the conflict so those locations could be avoided. The agency also noted that nearly 30 sites in Iran have special protection under the World Heritage list.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized what he called a muted response from UNESCO, saying on social media that the agency’s silence was unacceptable.

How does this compare to past conflicts?

• The 2003 invasion of Iraq led to widespread looting and the loss of thousands of artifacts from the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad.
• In 2015, fighters from ISIL destroyed the Temple of Baalshamin in Palmyra, Syria, and damaged works at the Mosul Museum in Iraq.
• During the conflict in Gaza that began in October 2023, UNESCO reported that nearly 200 sites of historical importance had been damaged or destroyed as of February of this year. In December 2024, Gaza’s Great Omari Mosque, one of the city’s oldest, was struck.

These episodes illustrate how modern warfare often leaves cultural legacies at risk, whether through direct hits, collateral effects or looting.

Tehran’s claims, UNESCO’s verifications and the legal framework that seeks to protect cultural property now all sit at the center of a debate about what happens to heritage during armed conflict. Whatever side you take, the images of shattered ceilings and damaged walls remind us that war can erase chapters of human history as well as lives.