Ancient domes cracked. Museum floors shattered. Ceilings that survived centuries of earthquakes, invasions, and revolutions buckled under the pressure waves of modern precision munitions.
The US-Israeli air campaign against Iran, which began on February 28, 2026, has inflicted significant damage on some of the country’s most treasured cultural heritage sites. The coordinated military operation, dubbed ‘Epic Fury,’ was aimed at Iranian military targets, but the collateral toll on irreplaceable historical architecture is becoming impossible to ignore.
The scope of the damage
Iranian officials report that between 108 and 120 cultural locations have been impacted across twelve provinces. That includes at least 34 museums.
Among the most prominent casualties is the Golestan Palace in Tehran, which sustained severe damage around March 2. The palace complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, dates back to the 16th century and served as the seat of the Qajar dynasty.
