‘Permanent scar’: Iran minister on US-Israeli attacks on monuments

Iran’s cultural heritage minister tells Al Jazeera damage to 56 sites is a ‘deliberate war’ on the country’s identity.

Inside the shattered halls of the Qajar-era Golestan Palace, the intricate glass and stonework that make the complex a “flower garden” have been replaced by a carpet of jagged glass. Shards from the 19th-century mirrored ceilings now crunch under the boots of curators, while the heavy scent of dust hangs where royal perfumes once lingered.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Reza Salehi Amiri, Iran’s minister for culture and tourism, described the destruction during the US-Israel war on Iran as a “deliberate and conscious attack” on Iranian identity. “We are not talking about stone and mortar,” Amiri said, gesturing to a mangled chandelier. “We are talking about the memory and history of a people. This stone represents who we are.”

Minister Reza Salehi Amiri says, ‘the international community’s silence is a betrayal of human history’ [Al Jazeera]

Worse than the eight-year war

Amiri argued that even during the 1980s’ war with Iraq, Iran’s historical monuments remained largely shielded from systematic destruction. “What we see today is a total collapse of the moral and legal rules that used to govern conflicts,” Amiri said. “The targeting of these sites is a dangerous development, not just for Iran, but for the global idea of heritage protection.”

The scale of the devastation is vast. Since the conflict began on February 28, the ministry has recorded damage to at least 56 museums and historical monuments across the country. While the United States and Israel maintain they are striking military targets, the ministry’s data tells a story of cultural loss. In Tehran alone, 19 locations have been hit, including the Grand Bazaar and the former senate building.

Rubble and damage inside one of the historic halls at Golestan Palace [Al Jazeera]

The myth of ‘perfect restoration’

Beyond the capital, the strikes have reached the heart of Iran’s Islamic golden age. In Isfahan, the 17th-century Chehel Sotoun Palace and the Masjed-e Jame — Iran’s oldest Friday mosque — have been hit. While the ministry has deployed more than 300 experts to assess the damage, Amiri is realistic about the future. He estimates that Golestan Palace alone will need at least two years of specialised labour, but warns that some things might have been lost forever.

“Restoration, no matter how perfect, can never return an artefact to its starting point,” he explained. “When you lose the original stone of a Qajar palace or the 17th-century tilework of an Isfahan mosque, you lose a physical layer of history that cannot be manufactured again. Every crack is a permanent scar.”

A shattered arched window at the UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace following the US-Israeli strikes [Al Jazeera]

A call for global protection

The targeting of these sites has led to a fierce debate over international humanitarian law. Under the 1954 Hague Convention — to which the US, Israel and Iran are all signatories — parties must refrain from any act of hostility directed against cultural property. Amiri condemned the international community’s silence, explicitly calling out UNESCO for failing to intervene despite having the geographical coordinates of all heritage sites.

As night falls over Tehran, the palace guards stand watch over the ruins of Golestan. For Amiri, the resistance is as much about culture as it is about territory. “They believe that by destroying our monuments, they can weaken our resolve,” he said. “But while you can destroy the stone, you cannot bomb the faith a people have in their land. Iran is our soul, and we will defend this civilisation until the last moment.”