TEHRAN - In a public appeal, a group of Iranian museum professionals has condemned Israel’s recent military strikes against Iran, describing the attacks as a grave violation of international law and an assault on the shared cultural heritage of humanity.

The collective, composed of curators, historians, and heritage experts from various institutions across Iran, issued a joint statement recently denouncing what they called the threatening cultural institutions amid Israel’s military campaign, which began on June 13. The statement emphasized a potential irreplaceable damage to museums, historic sites, and cultural artifacts, some of which have survived for centuries.

"These are not only attacks on physical structures," the group said, "but assaults on the identity, memory, and future of a civilization."

Several museums across Iran, according to the statement, have either suspended operations or are operating under the constant threat of aerial strikes. The professionals reported that valuable cultural assets, many symbolizing centuries of dialogue among civilizations, are under threat of being damaged or destroyed. 

They warned that under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, such acts could constitute war crimes.

The statement was not only a denunciation of the strikes themselves but also a critique of international silence. 
The inaction of global institutions is morally indefensible, the group said, calling on UNESCO, ICOM, ICOMOS, ICCROM, and civil society worldwide to publicly condemn the attacks and press for accountability.

The museum professionals framed their response not just as a national concern but a global one. “We speak not only as Iranians, but as guardians of a collective human legacy,” they stated. “Cultural heritage belongs to all people. To destroy it is to destroy a part of humanity.”

Their message also included a warning against framing the conflict in neutral terms, arguing that such approaches risk diluting the responsibility of the aggressor. Without clear acknowledgment of who is perpetrating the violence, any appeal to peace lacks moral clarity,  the statement said.

In a related development, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) also issued a separate statement expressing concern over the growing risks to cultural institutions and museum personnel in the region. While maintaining a balanced tone, ICOM reiterated the importance of adherence to international protocols protecting cultural property during conflict. However, the Iranian professionals criticized such neutrality as insufficient in the face of deliberate attacks.

They closed their appeal with a call for global solidarity and ethical responsibility. Museums are not just homes for the past, they wrote. “They are beacons for the future. To protect them is to defend our shared humanity.”

AM