U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield Issues Call to Action Amid Renewed Conflict in the Middle East
March 9, 2026
Since February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel have carried out strikes on Iran, prompting Iranian missile and drone attacks across the region, including against Israel and areas hosting U.S. forces. As the conflict escalates, cultural heritage and other civilian sites across the Middle East face heightened risk.
In response, a statement from the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield (USCBS) calls on all parties to uphold their obligations under international law, including the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Protocols.
As the USCBS states,
The destruction of cultural heritage is irreversible. It erases identity, history, and the shared memory of civilizations. No military or political objective justifies the willful or negligent destruction of humanity’s common inheritance. Such destruction is also one of the actions that can make returning to a state of peace more difficult.
The 1954 Hague Convention and its protocols establish clear legal duties to:
- Refrain from directing attacks against cultural property
- Avoid using cultural sites for military purposes
- Protect and respect cultural heritage in both the planning and execution of military operations
- Preserve access to and documentation of threatened sites
The United States, Israel, and Iran are all States Parties to the treaty.
In the words of the USCBS statement,
We urge the United States Government, the Israeli Defense Forces, and all parties involved to take immediate and concrete steps to identify, map, and protect cultural sites throughout the region, especially in Iran, in full compliance with international humanitarian law.
Read the full statement here.