Iran Plans Legal Action Against US and Israel Over Alleged Cultural Site Damage

(MENAFN) Iran has announced it will pursue legal proceedings against the United States and Israel over alleged strikes on cultural heritage sites, according to statements by Iranian officials.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran intends to take the matter to court, arguing that recent military actions caused damage to historic landmarks across the country.

As stated by reports, Gharibabadi claimed that 149 cultural and historical sites, including several museum facilities across 20 provinces and multiple UNESCO-listed locations, were affected by bombardments attributed to the US and Israel.

He said Iranian authorities would document and legally pursue what he described as an attack on the country’s cultural heritage under international legal frameworks, emphasizing accountability for wartime conduct.

“The authorities in Tehran 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,” he wrote.

Gharibabadi also stressed that international humanitarian law and the 1954 Hague Convention require the protection of cultural property during armed conflict, arguing that such sites are part of humanity’s shared heritage.

He added that Iran’s cultural heritage extends beyond national significance and represents a collective human legacy that must be safeguarded regardless of political or military disputes.

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