Targeting cultural sites

Donald Trump’s threat to blow up 52 sites in Iran including cultural sites has not received enough condemnation and uproar. This is not only a violation of international conventions and the laws of armed conflict but also constitutes a grave war crime.

The Pentagon has also rejected Trump’s threat to target cultural icons. US Defence Secretary Mark Esper attempted to douse the outcry by ruling out a military attack on cultural sites if the conflict with Iran escalates further, saying that they will follow the laws of armed conflict. He acknowledged that striking cultural cities with no military value would be a war crime.

This placed him at odds with the US president who has defended the threat to destroy such places as legitimate targets. Trump’s impulsive threats have generated condemnation at home and abroad. He appeared undeterred scoffing at the idea that Iran can attack Americans and in return, they cannot even touch their cultural sites. These comments should be condemned and have given Iran the opportunity to portray Trump as the aggressor.

UN’s cultural agency has reminded Iran and USA that attacking cultural sites is a war crime under international law. UNESCO said both counties have ratified treaties not to harm cultural sites in the event of armed conflict. This includes the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property, along with a UN Security Council decision which Trump approved in 2017 condemning acts of destruction of cultural heritage.

Iran has 22 UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the ancient ruins of Persepolis, the grand mosque of Isfahan, and the Golestan Palace in Tehran, where the last Shah to rule Iran was crowned in 1967. Many other sites such as the shrine of Imam Ali Raza (RA) in Mashad and Hazrat Fatima Masoomah (RA) in Qom are highly revered by Iranians and other Shhia Muslims. Striking them would lead to a severe and disproportionate backlash.

The deliberate targeting of cultural sites is often done by militant and terror outfits. The Afghan Taliban blew up the famed statues of Buddha in Bamiyan before they were overthrown in 2001. In West Africa, militants affiliated with Al-Qaeda destroyed the heritage sites of Timbuktu in 2012. The biggest damage was caused by ISIS who destroyed precious artifacts and plundered at least 28 historical sites in Iraq and Syria including the sites of Palmyra and Nimrud.

The threat by a world leader to target cultural sites is deeply discomfiting and reckless. The US president may not have considered the fallout after killing Iranian commander Soleimani, but the consequences of striking cultural sites may trigger another political firestorm.