The UNESCO Director General has warned Donald Trump against targeting cultural sites in Iran
The ancient ruins at Persepolis are among some of the most treasured sites in Iran. Image: Shutterstock/Rizd The ancient ruins at Persepolis are among some of the most treasured sites in Iran. Image: Shutterstock/Rizd Updated 19 minutes ago
UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay said at a meeting with the Iranian ambassador to the organisation that both Tehran and Washington had signed a 1972 convention obliging states not to undertake “any deliberate measures which might damage directly or indirectly the cultural and natural heritage” of other states.
The three leaders released a statement saying while they were concerned by the “negative” role Iran has played in the region – including through forces directed by General Qassem Soleimani – there was now “an urgent need for de-escalation”. “They’re allowed to kill our people. They’re allowed to torture and maim our people. They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesn’t work that way,” Trump said.
“If there’s any hostility, that they do anything we think is inappropriate, we are going to put sanctions on Iraq, very big sanctions on Iraq.”The administration has scrambled to contend with the backlash to the killing of General Soleimani. Though he was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans, the American strike marked a stark escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran.
One US national security official said the president had caught many in the administration off guard and prompted internal calls for others in the government, including Pompeo, to clarify the matter.
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