WANA (Mar 03) – In an official letter to UNESCO Director-General, Professor Khaled El-Anani, Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, Seyed Reza Salehi-Amiri, reported “serious damage” to the Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and parts of Tehran’s historic district following recent military attacks.

 

Salehi-Amiri called this action a violation of international legal commitments under UNESCO’s conventions and demanded the immediate dispatch of an independent expert team, along with the activation of protective mechanisms for global heritage sites.

 

In his letter, Salehi-Amiri informed UNESCO about the damage caused by the recent U.S. and Israeli military strikes, emphasizing that parts of the Golestan Palace, which was added to the World Heritage list in 2013, had been harmed by explosions and shockwaves.

 

He also mentioned that sections of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, a key element of the city’s historical fabric, had sustained significant damage, requiring urgent technical assessment and emergency stabilization measures.

 

The letter further outlined three specific requests from the Islamic Republic of Iran to UNESCO:

 

1. Immediate dispatch of an independent expert team to assess the extent and nature of the damage.

2. Provision of technical cooperation to stabilize, document, and develop protective programs based on international standards.

3. Activation of relevant monitoring and support mechanisms within the World Heritage system.

 

Concluding his letter, the Minister emphasized that the protection of cultural heritage during armed conflict is both a legal obligation and an ethical responsibility. He reaffirmed Iran’s full readiness to collaborate with UNESCO and its advisory bodies to address these urgent issues.

 

Airstrike on Tehran Damages Golestan Palace, UNESCO World Heritage Site

WANA (Mar 02) – In a nighttime attack by the United States and Israel on Arg Square in central Tehran, parts of Golestan Palace, the capital’s only UNESCO World Heritage site, were damaged. This was reported by Shiava Abshenas, a Sputnik correspondent in Tehran.   Golestan Palace is a historic complex of buildings and gardens […]

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