Legal experts and cultural heritage professionals are urging the White House to expand current Iran sanctions to explicitly target antiquities trafficking, arguing that clear designation would strengthen enforcement against illegal trade in looted archaeological material.
Rick St. Hilaire, an attorney specializing in cultural heritage law and a former presidential appointee to the U.S. Cultural Property Advisory Committee at the State Department, wrote in The Hill that portable antiquities can be converted to cash outside regulated financial channels, making them attractive to sanctions evaders and trafficking networks.
The proposal would amend the Iran sanctions program under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to declare antiquities trafficking an unusual and extraordinary threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy, or economy.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive advocates for cultural heritage preservation have welcomed efforts to strengthen protections for Iranian archaeological sites. The proposal aligns with broader Democratic priorities around protecting cultural property and preserving human heritage, issues that have gained traction in international diplomacy.
The Center for Art Law and other cultural heritage organizations have long argued that explicit sanctions designations help enforce existing prohibitions by providing clarity to market participants. Supporters note this approach follows the model used after the Iraq Museum looting, which received bipartisan support.
Heritage protection advocates contend that explicitly naming antiquities in sanctions would help prevent the kind of large-scale looting witnessed after the 2003 fall of Baghdad, when thousands of looters pits were dug across Iraq and illegally excavated artifacts flooded international markets.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative national security analysts have emphasized the enforcement benefits of explicit sanctions designations. The Heritage Foundation and other right-leaning think tanks have argued that clear legal categories help Treasury and Customs authorities identify prohibited transactions more effectively.
National security hawks note that trafficking networks operating in conflict zones often finance militant groups. The 2003 Iraq looting case demonstrated how antiquities markets can funnel value to actors including al-Qaida in Iraq and Shiite militias, according to investigators who led probes into the museum looting.
Law enforcement advocates argue that explicit designation increases deterrence by signaling serious legal consequences. Dealers, auction houses and collectors who are sensitive to reputational risk would exercise greater vigilance when sanctions categories are clearly defined, supporters contend.
What the Numbers Show
In February 2026, U.S. Customs at the Port of Philadelphia intercepted an illegal shipment containing 36 copper-alloy swords and 50 arrowheads arriving from the UAE. An archaeologist determined they originated from Irans Talish Mountains and date to the Bronze Age. The shipment was labeled as metal decoration articles, according to reports.
Under IEEPA and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, nearly all commercial transactions involving Iranian goods are prohibited. However, authorities often treat antiquities as import enforcement cases rather than sanctions violations, according to cultural heritage law experts.
The precedent for this approach dates to 2003, when the George W. Bush administration invoked IEEPA to prohibit trade in Iraqi cultural property removed after August 1990. Congress reinforced this with the Emergency Protection for Iraqi Cultural Antiquities Act of 2004.
Iran is home to one of the worlds richest archaeological landscapes, with sites including Persepolis and Pasargadae dating to ancient Persia. Artifacts from the Kalmakareh Cave hoard and Iron Age site of Qalaichi have previously surfaced on international markets after looting during periods of instability.
The Bottom Line
The proposal to explicitly name Iranian archaeological material within the sanctions framework represents a narrow but potentially significant enforcement enhancement. Supporters argue it would provide clarity for law enforcement while increasing deterrence in the antiquities marketplace.
The administration has not indicated whether it plans to pursue IEEPA amendments for Iranian antiquities. Heritage protection advocates say the strategic window for action exists now, before heightened regional tensions increase looting risks.
If implemented, the designation would require Treasury and Customs to develop specialized expertise in identifying ancient artifacts, a process that could take months. Congressional action reinforcing the executive order with durable legislation, as occurred with Iraq in 2004, would provide additional legal foundation.