Trump Threat to Attack Iran’s Cultural Treasures Spurs Backlash
Few things can rally Iranians around their flag like a threat to destroy venerated remnants of their ancient heritage.
(Bloomberg) -- Few things can rally Iranians around their flag like a threat to destroy venerated remnants of their ancient heritage.
President Donald Trump tweeted on Saturday that he had included Iranian cultural sites in his list of 52 targets for attack should Tehran retaliate against the U.S.’s assassination of Iran’s top military commander, Qassem Soleimani.
The prospect of an assault on sites like the ancient ruins of Persepolis or the immaculately tiled porticos of Esfahan’s 500-year old Naqshe Jahan Square triggered an immediate backlash across Iran, transcending the country’s deep political divisions.
Destroying cultural monuments is a war crime, and many compared Trump to Islamic State and the Taliban, jihadi groups that erased centuries of cultural heritage in lands they overran by destroying ancient monuments with bulldozers and explosives. The hashtag #IranianCulturalSites was trending on Twitter by Sunday, and people have flooded social media with photos of their favorite historic landmarks and monuments.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to later roll back the comments and told reporters that Washington would “behave inside the system” in the event of any military action.
In central Tehran, some people vowed to defend what they see as irreplaceable symbols of a national identity that is far more lasting than any political ideology.
“In case of a war we all have to go and fight,” said 22-year-old Pouyan, a mobile phone salesman who didn’t want to give his full name because of the sensitivity of the matter. “I don’t understand why anyone would think it’s not their duty to defend the heritage that existed long before this establishment and will continue to exist after that.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Arsalan Shahla in Tehran at ashahla@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Paul Abelsky
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