Iran accuses Israel & US of damaging heritage sites; regime critics blame Tehran’s leadership

The Iranian regime has accused Israel and the United States of purposefully striking UNESCO heritage sites in Iran as part of their military operations.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said earlier this week that “attacks on museums and historical sites are an assault on part of our cultural identity.” He added that damage to dozens of sites constituted “clear evidence of systematic violations of international law by the U.S. and Israel.”

The U.S. and Israel have denied that they are deliberately targeting cultural or civilian sites across Iran. However, some cultural structures have reportedly sustained some damage indirectly as a result of the intense aerial strikes in Iran, known in Israel as Operation Roaring Lion and as Operation Epic Fury by the United States. 

Tehran’s Governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian said in an interview with the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese network Al-Mayadeen that 19 museums in Tehran and 58 cultural centers across Iran had sustained damage. 

“Cultural, scientific and civilian centers are among the main targets of Israeli and American attacks,” Motamedian said without providing any concrete evidence.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei claimed earlier this month that a U.S. or Israeli missile hit the historically significant Arg Square, damaging the Golestan Palace, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The ministry official called the alleged strike “a heinous crime aimed at erasing Iran’s cultural heritage, the cradle of ancient history and civilization.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also claimed that Israel was deliberately attacking historical monuments dating back to the 14th century. Tehran’s top diplomat also criticized UNESCO for failing to respond to the alleged strike. 

"But where's UNESCO? Its silence is unacceptable," Araghchi wrote on 𝕏.

The purpose of the ayatollah regime’s messaging campaign is to portray itself as a defender of Iranian culture and portray Israel and the United States as the enemies of the Iranian nation and Persian culture. 

Some Arab media outlets have also reported on the alleged damage to cultural sites in Iran. For instance, the Qatari news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed published video footage entitled “Heritage under attack.” However, none of the reports have documented direct hits on cultural sites in Iran.

Furthermore, Iranian exiles are accusing the regime of hypocrisy and saying it is endangering Persian heritage. 

Iranian-born Canadian human rights activist Goldie Ghamari blasted the regime as an enemy of the Iranian people and its ancient culture. 

“A month before the conflict, they looted palaces in Tehran, sold everything inside and stole valuable artifacts belonging to the Iranian people,” Ghamari said.

“The fact that the regime is now using cultural heritage to accuse Israel and the United States is astonishingly hypocritical and shows how desperate they are,” she continued. “Iranians know the greatest threat to Iran’s cultural heritage is the Islamic regime occupying Iran."

Meanwhile, Iranian missiles are increasingly targeting Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, with its ancient and religiously significant sites for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. 

Earlier this week, “An Iranian missile exploded over Jerusalem’s Old City. Its fragments fell on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Armenian Patriarchate, the Jewish Quarter and on the Temple Mount near the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on 𝕏.