Damage to historic sites is a 'war on civilisation'

The US and Israel have been accused of a "declaration of war on a civilisation" by the governor of the historic Iranian city of Isfahan as heritage sites across the country suffer damage in their bombing campaign.

- Julian Borger Deepa Parent

The most serious confirmed damage to date has been to Tehran's Golestan Palace, which dates back to the 14th century, and the 17th-century Chehel Sotoun Palace in Isfahan.

Judging from videos and public statements, neither historic building was hit by a missile directly, but the shock wave from nearby blasts and possibly some missile debris shattered glass and brought down tiles and masonry.

Video from the scene showed that Golestan Palace's celebrated hall of mirrors had been shattered, with shards of intricate mirrorwork scattered across its floor.

The palace is a world heritage site under the protection of the UN's cultural body, Unesco, which issued a statement of concern after it was damaged on 2 March, saying it had "communicated to all parties concerned the geographical coordinates of sites on the world heritage list".

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, criticised Unesco for not being more vociferous, saying on social media: "Its silence is unacceptable." He blamed the damage on Israel, which he accused of "bombing Iranian historical monuments dating as far back as the 14th century."

"It's natural that a regime that won't last a century hates nations with ancient pasts," he added on X.