The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a warning that American and Israeli universities in the Middle East could become its "legitimate targets", as the conflict in the region escalates. The threat follows accusations that US and Israeli forces have attacked Iranian academic institutions and cultural heritage sites.
In a statement reported by Iranian state media, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the IRGC claimed that the American and Israeli forces had bombed the Tehran University of Science and Technology, among other academic institutions. The elite military force described these actions as deliberate attacks on Iranian universities.
The IRGC demanded that the US government issue a formal condemnation of these bombings by Monday, March 30 (Tehran time), if it wishes to avoid retaliation.
"The reckless rulers of the White House should know that all the universities of the occupying regime and American universities in the West Asian region are our legitimate targets, so the destruction of two universities in retaliation for the destroyed Iranian universities,” it said.
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The IRGC also urged staff, faculty, students, and residents near American and Israeli university campuses in the region to stay at least one kilometer away for their safety.
Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, took to X to condemn the ongoing attacks, claiming that the US-Israeli military campaign has revealed its true intentions. He alleged that the strikes on universities, research centers, and historical landmarks were part of a broader effort to cripple Iran’s scientific foundation and cultural heritage.
“Isfahan University of Technology and the University of Science and Technology in Tehran are just two among many universities and research centers deliberately attacked by the aggressors during the past 30 days of their illegal war on the Iranian nation,” Baqaei stated, highlighting the damage inflicted on the country’s academic and research sectors.
