Shafaq News- Tehran

About 140 archaeological and historic sites across 20 provinces had been damaged in recent military operations, Iran's Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Reza Salehi Amiri announced Saturday, putting losses at roughly 7.5 trillion tomans (about $110 million).

Tehran led the toll with 63 damaged sites, followed by Isfahan with 23, and the provinces of Kurdistan and Khuzestan with 13 each, Amiri said in a statement.

Among the casualties were UNESCO World Heritage sites. Isfahan's Naqsh-e Jahan Square complex -home to Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque and the Ali Qapu Palace- sustained damage, as did Tehran's Golestan Palace, a landmark of the Qajar era. In Lorestan province, the Falak-ol-Aflak Castle's structure and its museums were affected by nearby blast waves.

Tehran's Sa'dabad Cultural Complex and the Children's History Museum were also hit, along with architecturally significant administrative buildings, including the old parliament building and the Pasteur Institute. In western Iran, historic homes and mosques in Kurdistan and Kermanshah were damaged -among them the Kurdish House, known as the Asef Vaziri Mansion, and the Abu Turab Mosque.