Minister: Iran has long-term plan to repatriate ancient artifacts
Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, Ezzatollah Zarghami, revealed a long-term plan to repatriate ancient artifacts to the country, emphasizing their commitment to the plan.
According to ILNA, Zarghami addressed the issue of returning other ancient artifacts, such as the Sasanian bas-relief, to Iran.
“We have a long-term plan in this regard, and it is not a mere project; it’s a process,” stated the minister.
Zarghami lamented that many valuable Iranian artifacts are currently located in other countries due to various historical reasons.
He pointed out that during the pre-Islamic Republic era, particularly in the Pahlavi era, these countries claimed to have legally acquired and documented these artifacts after taking them out of Iran.
When asked whether ancient artifacts could be legally removed from the country, Zarghami replied, “Yes, they claim that these items were acquired through a contractual agreement, and they possess documents. However, we can pursue those cases which we can prove were smuggled, such as the Sasanian soldier’s relief, which was a smuggling case that occurred in the 1980s, and we could repatriate it.” The minister stressed that while some actions may have been deemed legal during the pre-revolution era, they do not recognize the legality of the transactions and commercial activities by individuals and dealers, and they are actively taking legal measures to reclaim these artifacts.