TEHRAN, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Seyed Reza Salehi-Amiri said on Monday no damage has been caused to the country's depositories for protecting historical artifacts, according to the official news agency IRNA.
He made the remarks at a press conference attended by foreign media representatives in the Iranian capital Tehran while elaborating on his ministry's measures to keep the country's cultural heritage and historical artifacts safe from the ongoing U.S. and Israeli attacks.
Salehi-Amiri said that all Iranian museums have safe and resistant depositories designed and constructed based on international standards, adding no damage has been caused to the depositories so far, and the necessary predictions have been made for the protection of historical artifacts.
He stressed that the country has no plan for sending the artifacts abroad, adding the ministry exchanged official correspondence with relevant international organizations and institutions over the past few days to report destructive actions taken against Iran's cultural heritage during the conflict.
Several cultural heritage sites have sustained damage since the beginning of the U.S. and Israeli attacks on the country.
Among the damaged sites are the Chehel Sotoun Palace and other sites at Isfahan's Naqsh-e-Jahan Square, a UNESCO-listed complex, as well as the Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Iranian capital Tehran.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military commanders, and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets across the Middle East. ■
