TEHRAN – A U.S. court has suspended an auction of a prehistoric Iranian bas-relief carving that was scheduled to go under the hammer at the Rupert Wace Ancient Art on Friday, CHTN reported.

“A New York court prosecutor has voted to seize a treasured piece of a bas-relief that depicts an Achaemenid soldier, which had been stolen from Persepolis decades ago prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution,” said Ebrahim Shaqaqi, the director of legal affairs at the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization.

“Legal follow-ups are underway to first prove that the relic belongs to Iran and finally repatriate it,” Shaqaqi added, without providing further detail on the U.S. court.

Established in 1986 and headquartered in London, Rupert Wace Ancient Art is one of the top dears of the finest and most important ancient art works.

AFM/MG