Iran's science minister said that over 30 Iranian universities have been targeted in “direct attacks“ since the start of the war with the US and Israel, according to the state-affiliated Iranian Student News Agency.
Hossein Simaei Saraf, Iran's minister of science, research and technology, said that “non-military sites and basic infrastructure for education and research have been targeted,” ISNA reported. “Today, millions of students and pupils are deprived of education“.
Buildings at “Shahid Beheshti“ University, a prestigious university in Tehran, were damaged in a US-Israeli strike yesterday, the Iranian Red Crescent and local media.
Iran says the attacks on its universities are an attempt to weaken the country's scientific and cultural foundations.
Israel has portrayed the attacks as part of a broader effort to disrupt Iran's nuclear program. The United States has said its forces do not intentionally target civilians.
In response to the attacks, Tehran has threatened to target American and Israeli-affiliated universities throughout the region.