Iran to Join UNESCO's Top Ten Heritage List

Tehran will become one of the top ten countries with the most number of world heritage sites, if the US pulls out of UNESCO.  Late last week, the US government announced the decision to withdraw from UNESCO, the international scientific and cultural heritage organization, by the end of 2018 for political reasons.  At present, Iran ranks 11th on the World Heritage List with 22 inscribed heritage sites following the US that has 23 sites on the list. This means Iran will replace the US once it is excluded, the Persian daily Iran reported.  Even without the US exit, Iran is expected to overtake the US with the expected inclusion of more Iranian sites on the World Heritage List in 2018. UNESCO is best known for its world heritage listings of outstanding cultural and natural sites, but has often drawn the ire of Israel and the administration of US President Donald Trump for a series of decisions, including the listing of Al-Khalil, a city in the southern part of the occupied Palestinian territories, as a Palestinian world heritage site.