WANA (Nov 05) – Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts announced that the country is actively pursuing 10 international cases to recover smuggled or stolen historical artifacts, with several valuable items being returned to domestic museums each month.

 

Seyed Reza Salehi Amiri, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, stated that at least 10 active cases are currently underway with various countries to reclaim Iran’s cultural treasures. Some of the identified artifacts have already been successfully repatriated.

 

He added that the ministry is legally following up on stolen antiquities to prove Iran’s ownership and ensure their return. “Each month, several recovered artifacts are handed over to relevant museums inside the country,” Salehi Amiri said.

 

Over the past several years, Iran has been involved in multiple efforts to retrieve artifacts looted and smuggled abroad. In 2021, the ministry’s former legal deputy announced around 15 active restitution cases, while in 2023, Mohammad Dehghan, then Vice President for Legal Affairs, confirmed that several lawsuits—particularly in France, the United Kingdom, and other European countries—had concluded successfully in Iran’s favor.

 

Dehghan stated that most of those cases had either resulted in initial victories, ongoing appeals, or final rulings, and the government was working to enforce the court decisions and expedite the return of cultural properties to Iran.

 

Notably, in 2023, Iran successfully repatriated 3,506 clay tablets from the United States in the fifth phase of artifact restitution following diplomatic negotiations.

Salehi Amiri

Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, Salehi Amiri. Social media/ WANA News Agency