Iran Declares US and Israeli Universities in the Middle East 'Legitimate Targets

Universities across the Middle East were placed on high alert Sunday after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared American and Israeli university campuses in the region "legitimate targets" — a threat that has already prompted at least one major institution to suspend in-person operations and sent students, staff, and faculty scrambling for guidance.

The IRGC issued the warning in a statement carried by Iranian state media early Sunday morning, framing it as direct retaliation for what Tehran describes as deliberate US-Israeli strikes on Iranian academic institutions. "The reckless rulers of the White House should know that all the universities of the occupying regime and American universities in the West Asian region are our legitimate targets," the statement read.

The Corps issued an ultimatum: if the US government wished to prevent retaliation, it must issue a formal condemnation of the bombing of Iranian universities in an official statement by 12 noon Monday, March 30, Tehran time. As of the time of publication, no such statement had been issued by Washington.

THE STRIKES THAT TRIGGERED THE THREAT

The IRGC's warning followed reports that US-Israeli airstrikes struck Iran's University of Science and Technology in Tehran on Saturday, damaging buildings on the campus. A second strike hit the Isfahan University of Technology on Sunday — the second time that campus has been hit since the war began — leaving four university staff members wounded.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei condemned both attacks on social media, alleging that the strikes were part of a deliberate campaign to dismantle Iran's scientific and academic foundations. He named the Isfahan University of Technology and the Iran University of Science and Technology as just two of many academic institutions targeted in the 30 days since the conflict began.

Iranian education officials have painted a stark picture of cumulative damage. Hossein Sadeghi, head of public relations at Iran's Ministry of Education, told state news agency IRNA that at least 250 students and teachers have been killed and 600 educational facilities struck across Iran since the war began — figures that could not be independently verified.

WHICH CAMPUSES ARE AT RISK

The IRGC's statement specifically mentioned universities in Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah, and Dohuk in Iraq, as well as institutions "perceived to be associated with the United States" more broadly across the region. The US Embassy and consulate in Iraq separately warned that Iran and its proxies may intend to target those named institutions.

Several prominent American universities operate campuses or full branch institutions across the Gulf. Texas A&M University maintains a campus in Education City, Doha, Qatar. New York University operates NYU Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Georgetown University, also in Education City, Qatar, had already shifted to remote instruction on Thursday — before the IRGC formally issued its threat. Other US-affiliated institutions operate across the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Lebanon.

The IRGC advised all employees, professors, students, and residents near American and Israeli university campuses to stay at least one kilometre away from those institutions for their safety — a warning that carries the practical weight of a targeted threat.

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT MOVES ONLINE

The most immediate institutional response came from the American University of Beirut, one of the oldest and most prominent US-affiliated universities in the Arab world. AUB president Fadlo Khouri told students and staff the university would operate fully online on Monday and Tuesday as a precautionary measure.

"Like many of you, we learned early this morning of threats issued against American universities in the region," Khouri said in a statement. "At this time, we have no evidence of direct threats against our university, its campuses or medical centres. At the same time, out of an abundance of caution, we will operate fully online on Monday and Tuesday, with the exception of essential personnel."

Founded in the 19th century, AUB has long been one of the Arab world's most influential educational institutions and a cornerstone of Lebanon's academic landscape for generations.

THE WIDER WAR CONTEXT

The university threats are the latest escalation in a widening conflict that has now entered its fifth week. US-Israeli airstrikes, initially aimed at military infrastructure, have increasingly drawn accusations of striking civilian and cultural sites. Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf accused the United States on Sunday of planning a ground invasion, a claim the White House has not publicly addressed.

Iran has continued to fire drones and ballistic missiles at Gulf states, with Kuwait reporting interceptions of incoming fire early Sunday morning. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed ten drones. Iran also claimed strikes on major aluminium facilities in Bahrain and the UAE.

Diplomatic efforts are underway on a parallel track. Pakistan has offered to host direct US-Iran talks "in the coming days," with foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt convening in Islamabad on Sunday to develop a de-escalation framework. Iran has agreed to allow two Pakistan-flagged ships per day through the Strait of Hormuz as a tentative gesture of goodwill.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY

For the tens of thousands of students enrolled at American and Israeli-affiliated universities across the Gulf and Levant, Sunday's developments introduced an unprecedented level of uncertainty. Campus security teams at multiple institutions were reported to be convening emergency briefings, and several embassies in the region updated their travel and safety guidance to include specific warnings about university facilities.

University Herald will continue to monitor institutional responses and update this report as developments unfold. Students and staff at affected institutions are urged to follow official communications from their universities directly and to check guidance from their relevant national embassies.