Unesco has said it is deeply concerned about the fate of world heritage sites in iran and across the region:NESCO has said it is deeply concerned about the fate of world heritage sites in Iran and across the region, after Tehrans Golestan palace, often compared to Versailles, and a historic mosque and palace in Isfahan were damaged in the war. The United Nations cultural agency on Wednesday urged all parties to protect the regions outstanding cultural sites, saying four of Irans 29 world heritage sites had been damaged since the start of the US and Israeli war with Iran.

According to TRTworld.com, "UNESCO is deeply concerned by the first impact that the hostilities are already having on many world heritage sites," Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the World Heritage Centre, said. He added he was also concerned for sites in Israel, Lebanon, and across the Middle East. Golestan Palace, often referred to as the Iranian Versailles, was chosen as the Persian royal residence and seat of power by the Qajar family and showcases the introduction of European styles in Persian arts, according to the UNESCO website.

"We sometimes even compare it with the Versailles Palace in France, for instance, and it has suffered, unfortunately, some damage. We don't know the extent for the moment. But clearly, with the images that we have been able to receive, we can confirm ... it has been affected," Eloundou Assomo said. Photos of the interior of the palace have shown piles of smashed glass and shards of wood on the floor, and shattered woodwork.

The comments came amid fears that the war could cause broader destruction. US President Donald Trump warned that the United States could strike targets that would make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a nation, again. In Isfahan, once one of Central Asia's most important cities and a major Silk Road hub, the Masjed-e Jame (Jameh Mosque), a mosque more than 1,000 years old that reflects the evolution of Islamic architecture through 12 centuries, has also been affected.

Buildings close to the buffer zone of the prehistoric sites of the Khorramabad Valley have also been damaged, UNESCO said. UNESCO has shared coordinates of key cultural sites to all parties, Eloundou Assomo stated, and is monitoring the damage. "We are calling for the protection of all sites of cultural significance ... everything that tells the history of all the civilisations of the 18 countries in the region," he emphasized.