Iran says museums and historic sites damaged in war

A photograph shows a destroyed healthcare centre building in the aftermath of an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese town of Burj Qalawiya on March 14, 2026. An overnight Israeli strike killed a dozen medical staff at a clinic in south Lebanon, health authorities said earlier on March 14, after the Iran-backed Hezbollah’s leader said his group was ready for a long confrontation with Israel. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when the militant group attacked Israel in response to the killing of the Iranian supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)

Iran’s cultural heritage and tourism ministry said Saturday at least 56 museums and historic sites across the country have been damaged, as the Middle East war entered its 15th day.

In Tehran, US-Israeli strikes damaged the UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in the early days of the conflict, local media reported.

The palace complex is one of the oldest sites in the Iranian capital and once served as the residence of the Qajar dynasty.

The ministry said Tehran has recorded the highest number of damaged monuments, with 19 suffering varying levels of harm.

The vast Naghsh-e Jahan Square, a 17th-century architectural jewel in the heart of the central Iranian city of Isfahan, has also been damaged.

In the port of Siraf, in Bushehr province, several houses were hit in the historic quarter, home to many century-old buildings.

UNESCO, the UN’s culture agency, told AFP on Friday it was concerned about hundreds of historic sites in Iran, Israel and Lebanon that have been damaged or threatened by the war.