Iran Alleges Deliberate Attacks on Universities, IRGC Threatens Retaliation

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a stern warning on Sunday that American and Israeli universities in the West Asian region could be considered legitimate targets in retaliation for recent strikes on Iranian academic institutions and heritage infrastructure.

In a statement broadcast by Iranian state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting on Telegram, the IRGC condemned what it described as repeated attacks on Iranian universities, including the bombardment of the University of Science and Technology in Tehran, and accused US-Israeli forces of targeting educational infrastructure.

The statement warned that all universities affiliated with the United States and Israel in West Asia are "legitimate targets" unless specific conditions are met.

It also urged staff, faculty, students and residents near such campuses to stay at least one kilometre away and demanded that the US government officially condemn the bombing of Iranian universities by noon on Monday, March 30 (Tehran time) if it wants those institutions to be spared from retaliation.

Why is Iran accusing the US and Israel of targeting its academic institutions?

Separately, Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused the United States and Israel of "deliberately" targeting its academic institutions and scientific infrastructure amid the ongoing conflict.

In a post on X, spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the attacks have "revealed its true objective" by systematically striking universities, research centres, historical monuments and prominent scientists.

Baqaei cited Isfahan University of Technology and the University of Science and Technology in Tehran as among institutions hit during the past 30 days of conflict and dismissed US and Israeli claims of countering Iran’s nuclear programme as pretexts.

The remarks underscored Tehran’s position that the conflict has widened beyond conventional military targets.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthis announced a "second military operation" targeting Israel in what they described as an escalation in the regional conflict.

In a statement posted on Telegram, military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group launched a barrage of cruise missiles and drones at "vital and military sites" in southern occupied Palestine.

“This operation coincided with the military operations being carried out by our mujahideen brothers in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and, by the grace of Allah, it successfully achieved its objectives," it added.

The development comes shortly after the Iranian-backed group in Yemen officially joined the conflict on Saturday, signalling a broader regional escalation.

(With inputs from ANI)