Please Sign & Share the Petition! https://c.org/MFxHmyT9Zh at Change.org
In light of escalating instability in Iran and the increased risk to cultural heritage that typically accompanies such periods, IMPD International Museum Professionals Day (Est. 2014) urge museums, auction houses, dealers, and private collectors worldwide to apply heightened professional due diligence to any object of Persian/Iranian origin or with a plausible Iranian provenance. For acquisitions, consignments, and transfers from 1 January 2026 onward, acquiring entities should be ready to provide clear, verifiable documentation demonstrating lawful export, uninterrupted provenance, and compliance with applicable national laws and international instruments, including relevant UNESCO conventions.
We recognize that documentation can be uneven in crisis contexts. At the same time, recent developments materially increase the likelihood of illicit trafficking, emergency removals, and looting—especially where collections are unregistered, records are incomplete, or databases are vulnerable to loss, manipulation, or deliberate destruction. In such circumstances, gaps in provenance or export documentation must be treated as a heightened risk indicator, not as a neutral absence. This letter is a collegial but firm notice: standards of scrutiny are likely to increase in the near term, and entities that acquire Iranian cultural material without robust, verifiable documentation may face reputational, ethical, and legal accountability.
IMPD extends its deepest solidarity to our museum and heritage colleagues in Iran, who continue their work under extraordinarily difficult circumstances with courage, care, and professionalism. We wish you strength, safety, and international support, and we reaffirm that your efforts to safeguard Iran’s cultural heritage are seen, respected, and shared by colleagues around the world.
As stewards of cultural heritage, we rely on one another to uphold ethical collecting practices, protect vulnerable patrimony, and prevent the laundering of unlawfully removed objects through the legitimate market during times of crisis.