TEHRAN - Iran’s national commission for UNESCO said on Tuesday that 132 cultural heritage sites have been damaged due to U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, after field assessments conducted across multiple provinces, its secretary-general said.

Hassan Fartousi, Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, presented findings from visits to sites in Tehran, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Lorestan and Kordestan during a press conference held in Tehran.

He said the commission began documenting damage from March 21, the start of the Iranian New Year, after coordination with UNESCO officials.

“Up to half an hour before the New Year, we were in consultations with UNESCO managers and encouraged them to send an assessment mission,” Fartousi said. “Due to wartime conditions, there were restrictions, and it was agreed that we would collect field documentation ourselves in coordination with UNESCO.”

Fartousi said the visits started in Tehran at the UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace and the Saadabad complex before expanding to other affected areas.

“It was a very bitter experience,” he said. “When we walked on shattered historical glass, it felt like walking on bones [of Iran].”

Fartousi said teams later travelled to Sanandaj in Kordestan province after receiving reports of strikes in Hamedan, where the tomb of Baba Taher and a monument associated with Avicenna were hit.

In Sanandaj, Safavid-era structures including the Asif mansion, also known as the “Kurd House,” were inspected.

“Some wooden lattice windows that had lasted 450 years without restoration are now seriously damaged,” he said.

He said emergency measures had been carried out at several locations, including installing temporary supports and covering exposed sections with plastic to limit rain damage.

“These actions were not in line with professional standards, but the emergency conditions required it,” he explained.

Fartousi said authorities also called for volunteers, including graduate students, to assist in Isfahan due to limited staffing at heritage sites.

He then reported damage in Kermanshah, including to Tekyeh Biglarbeygi and Dolatshahi Mosque, and in Khorramabad in Lorestan province, where sites near Falak-ol-Aflak castle were directly hit.

“A nearby marketplace dedicated to handicrafrs was almost completely destroyed,” he said, adding that damage occurred within the boundaries of heritage sites.

In Isfahan, he said blast waves affected several landmarks, including Chehel Sotoun palace, Ali Qapu palace, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque and the Imam Mosque.

“The shockwaves extended across the historical complex,” he said, adding that walls and paintings were damaged but structures remained standing.

Fartousi said heavy rainfall and continued strikes had complicated response efforts, prompting coordination with local authorities to deploy teams for temporary stabilization.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the UNESCO expert said 149 university facilities had also been damaged, including Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan University of Art and Iran University of Science and Technology, with laboratories among the affected facilities.

Fartousi said Iran, in coordination with its foreign ministry, is seeking to convene an extraordinary meeting under the Hague Convention framework, which would require submission of technical documentation.

On the role of international organizations, he clarified that their authority depends on mandates granted by member states. “Condemnation statements influence public opinion, but legal mechanisms also exist,” he said, adding that any legal follow-up would require verification procedures.
Responding to a question, Fartousi said assessing financial losses was difficult due to the nature of heritage assets. “In many cases, valuation is not possible,” he said, citing the example of a centuries-old mirror in Isfahan.

He said Iran is compiling written and visual documentation, including photos and videos, and called on media organizations to report on the damage.

AM