Iran threatens US, Israeli universities in Middle East
Tehran says Washington has until noon Tehran time on March 30 to condemn alleged strikes on two Iranian universities or campuses linked to the US and Israel in West Asia could face retaliation.
Ultimatum over alleged university strikes
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to strike Israeli and American universities in the Middle East unless the United States formally condemns what Tehran says were attacks on two Iranian universities.
In a statement carried by Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC said US-linked and Israeli universities in the “West Asia” region had become “legitimate targets”, set a deadline of 12 noon Tehran time on Monday, March 30, and told staff, students and nearby residents to stay at least one kilometre away from the campuses. AFP and other outlets separately reported the same ultimatum.
Threat follows reports of damage in Tehran and Isfahan
The warning followed Iranian reports that an airstrike hit Tehran’s University of Science and Technology on Saturday, damaging research and teaching buildings, while Reuters reported that a university building in Isfahan had also been reported hit earlier in the week. Iran has blamed the United States and Israel for the strikes.
Gulf campuses already under tighter arrangements
The threat has sharpened concern around major American-affiliated campuses in the Gulf, including New York University Abu Dhabi and universities in Qatar’s Education City. Georgetown University in Qatar said on March 26 that remote work and online instruction would continue until further notice.
The US State Department has meanwhile advised Americans worldwide, especially in the Middle East, to exercise increased caution, and says Americans in Qatar are strongly encouraged to depart now because of the threat of armed conflict.
Wider war has drawn civilian sites deeper into the conflict
The latest threat comes nearly a month into a war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and has since widened across the region.
Gulf Arab states told the UN Human Rights Council this week that Iranian strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure posed an “existential threat”, while the World Health Organization has verified attacks on healthcare sites inside Iran and AP has reported damage to schools and other civilian facilities there.
