170 killed in strikes on Iran’s academic sector
Iran accuses US and Israel of targeting universities as dozens of campuses and research centres report damage
By Abdullahi Yusuf
Iran’s Minister of Science, Research and Technology Hossein Simaei said more than 60 university students and 10 professors have been killed in what he described as recent U.S.-Israeli aggression, Press TV reported.
Speaking during a visit to the Aerospace Research Institute of Iran on Wednesday, Simaei expressed hope that the academic community would continue the work of those lost.
“The students and professors martyred during the illegal aggression have been identified,” he said. “We hope that other members of Iran’s academia continue the work of the martyred students and professors.”
Simaei described the strikes as part of a broader campaign of “scientific crimes” by the United States and Israel, adding that the institute — which focuses on non-military research in fields such as biology, agriculture and surveying — had been targeted twice.
“This is another of the scientific crimes committed by the sinister U.S.-Israeli alliance. This is a place where researchers in civilian fields like biology, agriculture and surveying worked, and unfortunately, it has fallen victim to the barbaric attacks of the enemy,” he said.
He also cited the death of Saeed Shamghadri, an associate professor at Iran University of Science and Technology, who was killed along with two children, describing the loss as particularly tragic.
Simaei said more than 20 state universities and several research institutes had been directly targeted, resulting in significant physical destruction and the loss of academic personnel.
Meanwhile, Bijan Ranjbar, head of Islamic Azad University, said 110 students from his institution had been killed and 21 branches damaged. He added that four faculty members, two employees and two students from SAMA schools were also among those killed.
On April 6, Sharif University of Technology — one of Iran’s leading engineering institutions — was struck, with its High-Performance Computing Center sustaining severe damage. The facility supports more than 3,000 researchers in fields including artificial intelligence and computer science.
Simaei said the attack extended beyond the computing center, hitting laboratories, educational buildings, a nearby mosque and other academic facilities.
He added that similar strikes had targeted institutions including the Laser and Plasma Research Institute at Shahid Beheshti University, the Pasteur Institute, and a satellite development laboratory at the Iran University of Science and Technology.
According to Iranian officials, the attacks were deliberate efforts to target strategic research and technological infrastructure.
“The world is governed by international, legal and ethical order, but we are facing an enemy that adheres to none of these principles,” Simaei said.
Iran’s Human Rights Headquarters has condemned what it described as deliberate attacks on civilian locations affecting the population.
Simaei said Iran is documenting damage to academic and research institutions in line with international standards in preparation for potential legal action.
“We are documenting all the damages based on internationally accepted standards,” he said. “The extent of the damages will be announced in the future.”
He also addressed Iranian students expelled from universities in the United States, saying they would be able to continue their studies in Iran.
“We welcome them with open arms, and there is no need for them to be concerned,” he said.
With additional information from MNTV
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