Shafaqna English | by Leila Yazdani*: Throughout their war on Iran, the US and Israel broke many norms of military engagement, such as systematically targeting academic institutions in Iran. Universities and schools became a major casualty, and explicit acknowledgements by Israeli leaders and some US public figures clarified that these institutions were not collateral damage, but rather, intended targets.
The current reality reflects a systematic Israeli pattern aimed at destroying the education system in Iran by targeting civilians, including students, teachers, and academics, and by attacking civilian objects such as schools and universities, libraries, rendering them inoperable.
This reveals direct and systematic targeting of the Iranian knowledge system through attacks on its educational and research cadres and through undermining its capacity to continue, recover, and reproduce knowledge.
This pattern shows that these attacks are not incidental damage to educational infrastructure but scholasticide, carried out as part of Israel’s genocide against Iran by targeting the foundations of their survival and destroying the conditions for their present and future life.
What is Scholasticide?
Scholasticide, or the intentional mass destruction of education, is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.
The term scholasticide was first introduced by Oxford academic and Palestinian scholar of the laws of war, Karma Nabulsi, during the 2008–2009 Israeli military operation in Gaza. She situated it within a broader continuum of Israeli colonial violence targeting Palestinian education, stretching from the 1948 Nakba, through the 1967 occupation, and the 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
For Nabulsi, scholasticide describes Israel’s systematic policy of dismantling education in Palestine as a strategy to suppress the long-standing Palestinian tradition of education as a form of resistance. In contexts of occupation and colonisation, education is more than learning; it nurtures critical thought, fosters dignity, and sustains aspirations for liberation.
Destruction of scientific centers disrupts the cycle of knowledge transfer
The destruction of scientific centers is strategically similar to the destruction of factories or military bases, as it profoundly and long-lastingly affects a country’s scientific and industrial future. For decades, this university has trained a cadre of experts, engineers, designers, and technical managers who play essential roles in various economic and industrial sectors. Destroying or incapacitating such an institution effectively disrupts the cycle of knowledge transfer and the training of future generations of specialists.
An attack on a university undermines education, research, and human capital formation—essential elements for a nation’s post-war reconstruction.
A History of Targeted Killings of Iranian Scientists
Saeed Shamghadri, a distinguished professor at Iran University of Science and Technology, was martyred in an attack by Israel.
The assassination of Dr Shamghadri is the latest in a long-running series of targeted killings of Iranian scientists and academics, operations by Israeli attacks, and part of a campaign aimed at disrupting Iran’s scientific and nuclear advancements. Since 2007, at least half a dozen prominent Iranian scientists have been assassinated in Israeli terror attacks.
In January 2010, Masoud Ali-Mohammadi, a particle physics professor at Tehran University, was killed by a remote-controlled motorcycle bomb outside his home. Later that same year, in November, two separate magnetic bomb attacks targeted nuclear engineers: Majid Shahriari, a professor at Shahid Beheshti University, was killed when motorcycle assailants detonated a magnetic bomb attached to his car.
In July 2011, Darioush Rezaeinejad, an electrical engineer specializing in high-voltage switches for nuclear applications, was shot five times by motorcycle gunmen near his home. Six months later, in January 2012, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a polymer engineer and supervisor at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, was killed by a magnetic bomb attached to his car in Tehran.
Another terror attack came in November 2020 with the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, one of Iran’s nuclear scientists. He was killed using a remote-controlled machine gun.
On June 13, 2025, Israel launched a blatant and unprovoked act of aggression against Iran, assassinating many nuclear scientists.
In June 2025, Israel killed at least 14 Iranian scientists in operations aimed at “destroying or degrading” Iran’s nuclear program and military capabilities. Among those targeted were martyr Abdolhamid Minouchehr, holder of a PhD in nuclear engineering who conducted extensive research on improving the efficiency and safety of nuclear plants, martyr Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a theoretical physicist and head of Iran’s Islamic Azad University, and martyr Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, a nuclear engineer who led Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.
The data from the Iranian government highlights a significant loss in cultural and scientific heritage. At least 56 heritage sites, 32 universities, and 55 libraries have suffered damage. On Friday, April 10, Iran’s Red Crescent Society announced on X that 32 universities and 857 schools were affected.
Targeting the University of Science and Technology, striking the “engineering heart” and “productive capacity” of Iran
On 28 March, one of Iran’s principal academic centers came under attack, with parts of it destroyed. Research and educational buildings at Iran University of Science and Technology—one of the oldest and most active scientific and academic institutions in the country—sustained damage in the assault. The university stands among Iran’s leading hubs of scientific research, with a distinguished record in knowledge production and in bridging academia and industry, having brought numerous outputs into the industrialization cycle.
Iran University of Science and Technology is not merely an educational institution; it is a network of researchers, students, laboratories, and research groups that underpin a significant share of strategic technologies, core industries, advanced engineering, and infrastructural systems. Targeting such an institution amounts to striking at the “engineering heart” and “productive capacity” of the country in question.
Targeting Isfahan University of Technology striking most prestigious engineering universities
On 29 March, there was a strike against Isfahan University of Technology in Iran’s central city of Isfahan.
Isfahan University of Technology (IUT), one of the country’s most prestigious engineering universities, was attacked for a second time. Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that several of its buildings sustained damage, while four members of staff were wounded.
In 2015, Sharif University and IUT were ranked 40 and 63, respectively, in the Times Higher Education’s rankings of the top 100 world universities under 50 years of age.
Targeting Amirkabir University of Technology, striking institutional and industrial contacts center
On 1 April, social media reports indicated that Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran was struck, with multiple clips showing debris and damage on or near campus grounds.
Amirkabir University of Technology is one of the oldest higher education technical and engineering institutes in Iran. Amirkabir University of Technology has been offering continuous brilliance and has contributed to the achievement of many educational and research goals.
With its educational facilities and strong institutional and industrial contacts, AUT has always been preferred and maintains its innovative learning environment, holding on to its leading status and expanding its collaboration with high-tech industries.
Targeting Laser and Plasma Research Institute of Shahid Beheshti University
On 4 April, the Laser and Plasma Research Institute of the Shahid Beheshti University in northern Tehran was bombed by US and Israeli warplanes.
Shahid Beheshti University (SBU), established in 1960 as the National University of Iran, is recognized for its strong programs in law, literature, and architecture. According to the UK-based QS World University Rankings, SBU is ranked 214th among 1,534 universities in Asia.
Targeting Sharif University of Technology, a striking center for research and academic collaboration
The most shocking incident in this string of attacks was the bombing of Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, which is seen as Iran’s top engineering university. Sixty years after its founding, Sharif University has established itself as an internationally renowned center for research and academic collaboration.
In the early hours of April 6, US-Israeli airstrikes on the southern parts of the iconic campus destroyed several buildings, including the Philosophy of Science Group, High-Performance Computing Center, and Information and Communication Technology Center.
Other Universities
The Faculty of Pharmacy at Shiraz University was hit in March. Strikes also targeted parts of the Science and Technology Campus and the Veterinary Specialized Hospital Campus at Urmia University.
The Supreme National Defense University, used for training military officers, was hit on 9 March. Tehran University of Space Science and Technology was attacked on 23 March. A section of Isfahan University was damaged due to attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel.
On 24 March, University World News reported that Israel was targeting Malek Ashtar University and Imam Hossein University. The IARI, a facility focused on non-military research in fields such as biology, agriculture, and surveying, was specifically targeted twice despite its peaceful academic objectives.
Targeting the Pasteur Institute in Tehran, striking at regional and global health security
Israel destroyed the century-old medical research facility, the Pasteur Institute in Tehran, which provided vaccines and combatted diseases such as cholera, as well as developed medicines.
Founded in 1920, the Pasteur Institute of Iran is a longstanding member of the Pasteur Network. The Institute contributes to national, regional, and global public health through its national reference laboratories, WHO Collaborating Centers, disease surveillance and diagnostics, biobanks, and essential medical countermeasures production.
Damage to or disruption of such infrastructure may have consequences beyond national borders. When public health institutes and surveillance systems are affected, outbreak detection capacity can be reduced, essential public health functions may be disrupted, and preparedness for emerging infectious threats may be weakened. These challenges are directly linked to broader considerations of regional and global health security.
310 students and teachers killed in US-Israeli attacks on Iran
310 students and teachers have been killed, and over 857 schools have sustained damage in US-Israeli attacks on Iran. More than 210 students and teachers were also wounded during this period.
Scholasticide is cutting children off from formal education during their most critical years, creating deep knowledge gaps, increasing risks of school dropout, child labour, and undermining their ability to recover and rebuild their lives.
These figures do not represent isolated losses. They reveal a broad and systematic pattern targeting the educational process in all its components, including students and teaching, administrative, and research staff. Such attacks undermine society’s knowledge structure, weaken its ability to endure and recover, and leave lasting consequences for development and reconstruction prospects for decades to come.
Do the US and Israel have a history of such attacks in the Middle East?
Yes. The US and Israel have carried out similar attacks in the past, particularly in Gaza and Iraq.
There have been instances in which militaries supported by or collaborating with U.S. forces have struck educational sites.
Iraq: More than 90% of the rare books in the library were destroyed
The 2003 US‑led invasion of Iraq set the stage for the looting of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, where thousands of artefacts were stolen or destroyed.
The same year, US troops watched as looters plundered the Iraq National Library and Archive in Baghdad and set the building on fire. More than 90%of the rare books in the library were destroyed.
Syria: US-led military coalition attacked a boarding school
In March of 2017, the US-led military coalition (Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh) attacked a boarding school in Mansourah, Syria, killing dozens of civilians.
Gaza: Nearly 90% of school buildings in Gaza are damaged or destroyed
In Gaza, according to UNESCO’s data, Israel destroyed or damaged nearly 200 heritage sites during its genocidal war on the Palestinian enclave, which began in October 2023.
Targeting schools has been a regular strategy of the IDF, and as of mid-2024, nearly 90٪ of school buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.
Globally, educational sites remain vulnerable to attack: In 2024, the UN recorded 1,265 attacks on schools, particularly in areas that are experiencing armed conflict.
Under international humanitarian law, attacking schools and universities is considered a war crime
Under international humanitarian law, attacking civilian buildings such as schools and hospitals is considered a war crime. Military forces are also expected to take practical precautions to minimize or eliminate potential civilian harm, as outlined in the Geneva Conventions of 1949. Beyond technically being bound to these treaties, the U.S. had also committed to an intergovernmental commitment called the Safe Schools Declaration in January of 2025.
Created in 2015 by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), the Safe Schools Declaration has been endorsed by 123 nations. It aims to ensure that countries protect education (students, teachers, and schools) from attack during times of armed conflict, and “restrict” the use of educational sites for military purposes. As an endorsee, the U.S. violated this agreement in addition to international humanitarian law.
A civilisation that has survived several millennia cannot be erased with bombardment
Scientific institutions serve as vital engines of intellectual capital, technology, and skilled human resources—assets that are essential for any country’s reconstruction after war or for sustaining resistance. What Israel and the US are seeking by destroying Iran’s industrial and educational capacity is to prevent reconstruction. But a civilisation that has survived several millennia cannot be erased with aerial bombardment.
*Leila Yazdani is a PhD Candidate in International Relations.
Sources: Euromed Monitor, Truthout, Aljazeera, Mehr News, Jadaliyya, Iran Press, Al-akhbar, Nour News, Tehran Times