Iran cut ties with the British Museum on Sunday in protest at repeated delays in the loan to Tehran of an ancient Persian treasure, the Cyrus Cylinder, a top official said.
Hassan Mohseni, a senior official at Iran s cultural heritage and tourism organization, said relations were annulled after the London museum failed to transfer the artifact to Tehran.
We confirm the cutting of ties and we consider it a closed chapter, Mohseni, who heads the organization’s public relations, told AFP.
Tehran s decision to break off relations with the museum was revealed earlier by Hamid Baghai, who heads the cultural heritage and tourism organization.
Since the Cyrus Cylinder has not been transferred to Iran, we will lodge a complaint against the British Museum to UNESCO and cut ties, Baghai was quoted as saying by Iranian media.
The museum, he said, had failed to meet a final deadline of Sunday, leading to the cut, and Iran s decision to notify the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Many historians regard the cylinder, discovered in 1879, as the world s first declaration of human rights.
It was written at the order of Persian ruler Cyrus the Great after his conquest of Babylon in 539 BC and is currently with the British Museum.
The British Museum told us they will transfer it to us in September, then they said November, and then finally said January 16. We have so far spent around $200,000 on additional security devices to protect the loaned cylinder, Baghai added.
Then we got a letter saying they cannot send the cylinder following the Ashura day incidents, he said, referring to deadly clashes in Tehran between security forces and opposition supporters on the day of a Shiite ritual on December 27.
Baghai said the museum later told Tehran it had more fragments belonging to the cylinder and the cylinder will be transferred to Iran… So we gave them a final two weeks to keep their word, a period which ended on Sunday.
Meanwhile Mohseni said there would be no further visits of British archaeological teams to Iran following the cut in relations.
Diplomatic ties between Tehran and London have gone through several ups and downs over the past three decades, and they have further deteriorated since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad s disputed re-election in June.
Tehran has accused London of fomenting the post-election riots which shook the Islamic republic and detained nine local staffers of the British embassy.
