TEHRAN - A coalition of 30 Iranian non-governmental organizations and cultural heritage institutions has called on international organizations, including UNESCO, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to take urgent action to protect Iran's cultural heritage following damage to historical sites during the recent military conflict involving Iran and the combined forces of the United States and the Israeli regime.

In a joint statement released on Tuesday and reported by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, the coalition condemned what it described as damage to 132 historical monuments and sites across 18 provinces during the conflict. The organizations characterized the destruction of cultural heritage as an attack on the collective memory of humanity and urged international bodies to investigate the reported damage and pursue legal accountability.

According to the statement, the appeal was addressed to the United Nations secretary-general, UNESCO, the ICC, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), Blue Shield International and the International Committee of the Red Cross, ILNA reported on Monday.

The coalition said its figures were based on documentation from Iran's Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, media reports and field observations by members of specialized heritage organizations. It said military attacks between Feb. 28 and the early hours of April 8, 2026, caused serious damage to 132 historical buildings and monuments in 18 provinces.

The statement follows an earlier announcement by Iran's Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, which said that 149 historical buildings and structures across 18 provinces had sustained damage during the recent conflict. The report did not explain the difference between its earlier figure and the total cited in the NGOs' statement.

The coalition added that several internationally recognized monuments were among the damaged sites, including the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Golestan Palace and Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan. It also named Chehel Sotoun Palace, the Imam Mosque (Masjed-e Jameh Abbasi), Azadi Tower, Sepahsalar Mosque, the Tomb of Baba Taher, Falak-ol-Aflak Fortress, Safiabad Palace and the Kuh-e Khajeh archaeological site as having suffered damage.

The organizations argued that attacks on cultural property violate international humanitarian law, citing the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its protocols. They said deliberate attacks on protected cultural property may constitute war crimes under international law.

As examples, the statement referred to damage to the Art Research Institute of the Iranian Academy of Arts, a building designed in 1931 by architect Nikolai Markov and formerly the residence of Professor Yahya Adl. The coalition said the building had no military function and was struck by a rocket, describing the incident as a violation of the principle of distinction under Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions and the Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention.

The statement also cited the destruction of the Rafi'zadeh Synagogue and the loss of historical Torah scrolls, arguing that the incident could amount to a violation of Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and U.N. Security Council Resolution 2347 on the protection of cultural heritage during armed conflict.

Moreover, the coalition urged international organizations to take six immediate steps, including dispatching independent assessment teams to document the damage, establishing a legal mechanism for compensation and reconstruction, activating UNESCO's Heritage Emergency Fund to finance restoration work, supporting international researchers to document oral histories related to the conflict, strengthening implementation of the Blue Shield International protection framework for endangered heritage, and preventing the illicit trafficking of Iranian cultural objects through cooperation with Interpol and the World Customs Organization.

According to the coalition, copies of the statement have also been sent to international media organizations and academic and research institutions specializing in international law, archaeology, Iranian studies and West Asian studies for legal review and further examination.

The signatories of the statement include the Pishin Pazhouh Cultural and Artistic Institute, the Archaeological Society of Iran, the Iranian Scientific Association of Archaeology, the Iran Heritage Organizations Network, the National Campaign to Save Historic Buildings, Sites and Urban Fabrics, the Iran Association for the Restoration of Historic Buildings, the Iran Association of Protected Historic Buildings, the Shahr-e Sukhteh Heritage Guardians NGO, the Bisotun Heritage Friends Association, the Sorkhrig Chabahar Empowerment Institute, the Fasa Cultural Heritage Guardians Association, the Cultural Heritage Supporters Association of Dareh Shahr, the Iranian Scientific Association for Ilam Studies, the Scientific Association of Comparative Literature.

They also underlined the destruction of cultural heritage represents not only damage to physical monuments but also an attempt to erase humanity's collective memory, and they called on the international community to fulfill its legal and ethical obligations to protect cultural heritage during armed conflict.

AM