US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has ruled out striking Iranian cultural sites, contradicting President Trump who said they are targeting 52 Iranian sites including cultural ones if Tehran retaliates against the drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the U.S. will “follow the laws of armed conflict.”

When asked if that ruled out targeting cultural sites, Esper said pointedly, “That’s the laws of armed conflict.”

Trump first raised the prospect of targeting cultural sites in a tweet on Saturday and reiterated that view to reporters the next day.

“We have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD,” he tweeted.

Iran, home to one of the world’s most storied ancient civilizations, has 22 cultural sites designated on the World Heritage List by UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organization, including the ruins of Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire later conquered by Alexander the Great. Others include Tchogha Zanbil, the remnants of the holy city of the Kingdom of Elam, and a series of Persian gardens that have their roots in the times of Cyrus the Great.-Povo News