Dear President Trump,
You are the only U.S. president who has explicitly opposed the Iranian regime for the past 40 years. You have repeatedly stated your support for the people of Iran and the unique culture of Iran. You and your important government figures have repeatedly stated that the United States of America stands with the Iranian people in these difficult and critical times which the Iranian regime has imposed upon the Iranian people.
Even the Iranian-Americans living in the U.S., who did not vote for you three years ago, appreciate the U.S. support for the Iranian people who have suffered so much under this oppressive Iranian regime. Unfortunately, however, your recent remarks about “targeting 52 sites in Iran which also include Iranian cultural heritage sites” is shocking to all Iranians who care deeply about that country yet oppose the regime.
Mr. President, Iranians have been witnessing the destruction of their unique and great cultural and historical heritage for 40 years by the Islamic Republic’s oppressive culture and regime. For over 40 years, we—the lovers of Iran’s cultural and historical heritage—have reported and asked for the assistance of all the cultural centers of different countries, including the United States, the United Nations, and UNESCO, for assistance in stopping the destruction of beautiful historical and cultural sites and monuments by the ruling Iranian regime. These heritage sites not only belong to the people of Iran but also belong to humanity and the global community. Now, would you want to destroy these invaluable, priceless historical and cultural heritage sites to retaliate for the actions of the ruling regime in Iran?
President Trump, while your recent remarks have been of great concern for all the lovers of world cultural heritage, they have unfortunately made the heads of the Iranian regime very happy. They have tried their best to destroy Iran’s cultural, environmental, and historical heritage over the last 40 years and any destruction of these sites by anyone, for any reason, will be in complete complicity with the ruling regime in Iran.
Sincerely yours
Shokooh Mirzadegi
Executive Officer of Pasargad Heritage Foundation
January 5, 2020
