Trump threatens Iranian cultural sites, violating international conventions

Donald Trump has issued a warning about targeting Iranian cultural sites with bombings if Iran responds to the U.S. killing of General Qassem Suleimani. On Saturday, the U.S. president tweeted about 52 Iranian locations, some of which hold significant cultural value, vowing a swift and severe reaction. He later reinforced this threat during a press conference, dismissing concerns over attacking cultural sites. Article 53 of Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions forbids hostility towards cultural objects, and the 1954 Hague Convention, which the U.S. has ratified, imposes similar restrictions. Anonymous senior U.S. officials told CNN they were alarmed by the idea of intentionally targeting cultural heritage, arguing it unifies people and is counterproductive, referencing ISIS's destruction of monuments and the Leuven Library fire in WWI. Iran is home to 24 World Heritage Sites, such as the Golestan Palace in Tehran and Persepolis, the ceremonial capital from 515 BC of the Achaemenid Empire. The Persian culture is renowned for its rich history in poetry, logic, art, and science, with calls for leaders to preserve rather than obliterate it.