Following recent U.S.-Israeli strikes that it claims damaged Iranian academic institutions, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to attack American university campuses in the Middle East.
The Guard threatened to retaliate against American-affiliated universities in the area if Washington did not react in a statement that Iranian media reported.
The statement read, “The US government must denounce the bombing of the universities in an official statement by 12 noon on Monday, March 30, Tehran time, if it wants its universities in the region to be free from retaliation.”
It added a direct warning to those around such institutions: “We advise all employees, professors, and students of American universities in the region and residents of their surrounding areas to stay a kilometer away from campuses.”
The threat follows strikes in Tehran between Friday and Saturday, which reportedly hit sites including the University of Science and Technology, causing damage to buildings but no reported casualties. Several U.S. universities operate campuses across the Gulf region, including Texas A&M University in Qatar and New York University in the United Arab Emirates.
The developments come amid escalating tensions in the region, with concerns growing over the potential widening of targets beyond traditional military sites.