US-Israeli Strikes Target Iran’s Academic and Research Infrastructure

Official reports from Tehran indicate that at least 32 universities and 857 schools have been targeted since the onset of the conflict in late February. Bijan Ranjbar, president of the Islamic Azad University system, confirmed that his institution alone has lost at least 110 students, with 21 branches suffering physical damage. On April 6, the Sharif University of Technology—often cited as Iran’s premier technical institution—was bombed, crippling a computing center vital to thousands of computer science and artificial intelligence researchers.

While Israel maintains that these facilities serve as fronts for military operations, the strikes have extended to essential civilian infrastructure. The Pasteur Institute, a historic health facility, is now unable to provide medical services after sustaining heavy damage. Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi, a professor at the University of St. Andrews, suggests that the campaign reflects a broader strategic aim: to erase the institutional memory and technological foundation of Iranian society. He argues that by targeting research hubs, refineries, and pharmaceutical plants, the attackers are dismantling the country's long-term developmental capacity rather than merely pursuing military objectives.