{"id":25337,"date":"2026-03-17T12:32:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T09:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hriui.com\/?p=25337"},"modified":"2026-06-08T14:30:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T11:00:38","slug":"news-report-damage-to-irans-cultural-heritage-and-the-violation-of-cultural-rights-in-the-context-of-us-israeli-military-aggression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hriui.com\/en\/news-report-damage-to-irans-cultural-heritage-and-the-violation-of-cultural-rights-in-the-context-of-us-israeli-military-aggression\/","title":{"rendered":"News Report: Damage to Iran\u2019s Cultural Heritage and the Violation of Cultural Rights in the Context of US\u2013Israeli Military Aggression"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Introduction<\/strong><\/p>

Following the large-scale aggression by the United States and Israel against Iranian territory on the morning of 28 February 2026, and the attacks on military and non-military centers, historic and cultural sites, as well as UNESCO World Heritage properties, suffered serious damage. These sites were scattered across the country, from Isfahan to Tehran and Khorramabad, and each sustained damage in one form or another. This issue once again highlighted the effectiveness of international standards related to the protection of historical and archaeological heritage\u2014particularly globally registered sites\u2014as well as the performance of international organizations responsible for this field, especially UNESCO. This is a matter that had previously drawn attention in relation to the historical heritage of Syria during the ISIS war and the historical heritage of Iraq during the U.S. and NATO attack on that country in 2003, generating a wave of criticism directed at the effectiveness of the existing institutions and legal foundations.<\/p>

UNESCO is recognized as the international body responsible for the protection of cultural heritage and is mandated to safeguard cultural heritage and globally registered historical monuments in times of peace as well as crisis. This mission has been entrusted to the organization through several conventions and international mechanisms. In general, what is beyond dispute is that these sites possess extensive cultural, social, political, historical, and scientific dimensions, and each of them, in its own way, holds considerable importance both for the people of each country and for the international community. These sites embody the historical background and cultural richness of every society; therefore, serious damage to or destruction of them in fact constitutes a direct targeting of the living foundations of a people and a violation of the cultural rights of a nation.<\/p>

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Incidents<\/strong><\/p>

Following the aggression by the United States and Israel against Iranian territory, in addition to military centers, non-military sites were also subjected to direct or indirect attacks. By \u201cindirect,\u201d it is meant that these places were located adjacent to, or at a very short distance from, military sites and were seriously damaged as a result. The scale and extent of the damage varied from one location to another depending on the nature of the attack and the distance from the bombed site; however, these places were spread throughout the country and encompassed a broad range of sites.<\/p>