Iran's cultural heritage suddenly turned into the center of global interest after Trump threatened to target Iran's Cultural Sites.
Kazem Jalali, on the sidelines of "Iranian Cultural Night" themed "The Mythical World of Ferdowsi Shahnameh", which was held on Thursday night at Moscow's Biblioglobus Library, added: "Unfortunately, some, like US President Donald Trump, are promoting violent languages around the world, declaring that they may even target Iranian cultural sites.
He said that we can speak the language of culture and art to one another and the Iranian culture is at the heart of Iranian scholars and enthusiasts of human civilization and cannot be eliminated by any means.
After assassination of Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani, US President Donald Trump wrote in a series of tweets that if Iran makes a move to avenge the assassination of Lieutenant General Soleimani, the United States will "target 52 Iranian sites" and that some were "at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself."
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that targeting Iranian cultural sites would be a war crime.
The Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay said in a meeting with Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Jalali on Monday, Jan 7, that the US is responsible to protect cultural heritage in possible hostility.
The Director-General recalled the provisions of the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, two legal instruments that have been ratified by both the United States and Iran.
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