Iran Accuses US-Israel of Deliberately Attacking Universities
Teheran: Iran on Sunday accused the United States and Israel of “deliberately” targeting its academic institutions and scientific infrastructure amid the ongoing conflict in the region, claiming that the US-Israeli military campaign had “revealed its true purpose” by systematically hitting universities, research centres, historical monuments and leading scientists.
In a post on
Baqaei stated that Isfahan University of Technology, located at the heart of Iran’s higher education and research ecosystem, and the University of Science and Technology in Tehran were among those hit in the clashes that lasted 30 days.
He also dismissed U.S. and Israeli claims to oppose Iran’s nuclear program and treat an “imminent threat” as “bad excuses” intended to conceal what he perceives as a broader strategy to undermine Tehran’s intellectual and cultural institutions.
“Isfahan University of Technology and the University of Science and Technology in Tehran are just two of the many universities and research centers that aggressors have deliberately attacked against the Iranian nation over the past 30 days. In fact, the American-Israeli aggression against Iran continues to reveal its true purpose: to cripple our country’s scientific base and cultural heritage by systematically targeting universities, research centers, historical monuments and leading scientists. To oppose Iran’s ‘nuclear program’ and, in the Post, “imminent threat” “They were nothing more than poor excuses; fabrications designed to hide their true intentions.”
Iran’s foreign ministry’s remarks underscore Tehran’s growing rhetoric that the conflict is expanding beyond traditional military targets to include learning and research centres.
Meanwhile, early Sunday, Yemen’s Houthis announced a “second military operation” targeting Israel, using a barrage of cruise missiles and drones on what they described as “vital and military areas” in southern occupied Palestine, significantly escalating the ongoing West Asian conflict.
The Houthis’ military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a statement published on Telegram that the operation was launched as part of the “Holy Jihad War” and coincided with military actions by forces in Iran and allied groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon. He added that the second operation “successfully achieved its objectives.”
The statement said, “The forces carried out the second military operation in the Battle of Holy Jihad, using cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles targeting many vital and military areas belonging to the Zionist enemy in the south of occupied Palestine. This operation coincided with the military operations carried out by our mujahideen brothers in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and with God’s permission, it successfully achieved its goals.”
This came minutes after the Iran-backed group in Yemen officially joined the conflict in the region early on Saturday.
