Nicosia, Cyprus. The Embassy of Iran in Cyprus has alleged that joint US and Israeli airstrikes on Tehran in the winter of 2026 caused serious damage to Iranian cultural heritage sites, including Golestan Palace and Arg Square. It described the alleged strikes as a violation of international humanitarian law.
Embassy statement and locations cited
In a press statement issued to Cypriot media on 2 April, the Embassy said the intensity of explosions around Arg Square and Golestan Palace was significant enough to damage parts of both historic sites despite protective measures. It added that cultural and historical sites across multiple provinces were also affected, naming Isfahan, Kurdistan, West and East Azerbaijan, Lorestan, Ilam, Bushehr and Kermanshah.
Reported scale of damage
Ahmad Alavi, head of Tehran city council’s heritage committee, said last week that airstrikes had damaged at least 120 culturally or historically significant sites across the country since the start of the war. He named Tehran’s Marble Palace, Teymourtash House, and the Saadabad Palace complex. Iran is home to 29 UNESCO-listed sites.
Specific sites referenced in reports
Damage to Golestan Palace, a Qajar-era monument whose mirrored ceilings, windows, and archways were impacted in early March, was reported by AP on 3 March 2026. Strikes on Isfahan targeting the governor’s building also damaged the interior of the 17th-century Chehel Sotoun Palace, which is near the building, and the Ali Qapu Palace, where damage to intricate interior tilework has been reported. Shockwaves from the same strikes reportedly damaged the Masjed-e Jameh, the oldest Friday mosque in Iran.
Comments from Iran’s culture and tourism minister
Iran’s minister for culture and tourism, Reza Salehi Amiri, described the destruction as a “deliberate and conscious attack” on Iranian identity in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera. “We are not talking about stone and mortar,” Amiri said. “We are talking about the memory and history of a people. This stone represents who we are.” He said that even during the 1980s war with Iraq, Iran’s historical monuments remained largely shielded from systematic destruction, and added that the targeting of such sites was a dangerous development for heritage protection.
UNESCO warnings and actions
UNESCO said it had issued fresh warnings over the fate of heritage sites in Iran and renewed its call for maximum restraint to spare what it described as the social foundation of societies. The agency confirmed that several sites of cultural significance in the region had been reported as impacted and damaged, and said it had communicated the geographical coordinates of World Heritage sites and sites of national significance to the parties to the conflict to avoid their being targeted. UNESCO reiterated the obligation of all parties to respect international law.
Legal instruments cited by the Embassy
The Embassy cited the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, particularly Articles 4 and 19, saying cultural property must be protected even during armed conflict. It also cited the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, and UN Security Council Resolution 2347 of 2017, which defines the destruction of cultural heritage as a criminal act.
Claim of non-military status and planned report
The Embassy said sites such as Golestan Palace and Falak-ol-Aflak Castle have never served military purposes and cannot be considered legitimate military targets. It described the alleged attacks as a violation of international obligations and a serious offence against the heritage of humanity, and said its statement introduces a broader report documenting the extent of damage across different Iranian provinces.
What steps should conflict parties take to better protect cultural heritage sites during hostilities?
