Iran: US-Israeli strikes damaged 56 museums and historical sites
Shafaq News- Tehran
Airstrikes tied to the ongoing US-Israeli war have damaged at least 56 museums and historical sites across Iran, the country’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage said on Saturday.
In a statement, the ministry indicated that landmarks across several provinces sustained significant structural damage during strikes attributed to the United States and Israel. Tehran province recorded the highest number of affected locations with 19 sites, followed by Kurdistan province, where 12 historical structures were hit.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had accused Israel on X of “bombing Iranian historical monuments dating as far back as the 14th century,” noting, “Multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites have been struck.”
Israel is bombing Iranian historical monuments dating as far back as the 14th century. Multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites have been struck. It's natural that a regime that won't last a century hates nations with ancient pasts. But where's UNESCO? Its silence is unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/7eu09Cjiyf
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) March 12, 2026
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also expressed concern over the impact of the hostilities on cultural heritage across the region, saying that four of Iran’s 29 UNESCO World Heritage sites have been affected since the conflict began.
“UNESCO is deeply concerned by the first impact that the hostilities are already having on many World Heritage sites,” Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the World Heritage Centre, told Reuters, noting that the organization is also tracking potential risks to heritage locations in other parts of the Middle East, including Lebanon.
The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iranian targets on February 28, causing extensive destruction, civilian casualties, and the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several senior commanders from the IRGC. Iran later carried out retaliatory actions affecting Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
