Tehran: Education across Iran is under severe strain as ongoing US-Israeli strikes have targeted schools and universities, disrupting learning and raising concerns over whether attacks on civilian infrastructure could constitute war crimes under international law.
Since February 28, more than 30 universities have reportedly been directly hit, according to Iran’s Science Minister, Hossein Simai Sarraf. Speaking during a visit to Shahid Beheshti University in northern Tehran on April 4, a day after the campus was struck, he said the attacks were increasingly affecting the country’s education system. Iranian media reported extensive damage to academic buildings and research facilities at the site.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, in a post on X on Monday, referred to one of the targeted institutions as the “MIT of Iran” and described it as part of a broader pattern of strikes on universities. He warned that such attacks, aimed at centres of knowledge, would not go unanswered.
The impact is widespread. Hassan Fartousi, Secretary-General of Iran’s National Commission for UNESCO, said around 160 locations within university campuses, including laboratories and faculties, have been affected, with some colleges destroyed.
Additionally, Quds News Network, citing the Ministry of Education, reported that at least 924 schools have been damaged since the conflict began. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ismail Baghaei, said over 600 schools and educational centres had been targeted as of April 1. Incidents include the “Taiba Tree” school in Minab, where more than 165 female students were reportedly killed, and the Lamard sports hall, with the attacks described as beyond what could be termed a “war crime.”
In response, schools and universities across Iran have suspended in-person classes, with many shifting to remote learning or halting academic activity entirely.
For students, the disruption is immediate. Lessons, laboratory work, and practical training have been interrupted, while uncertainty over exams and academic schedules continues. Damage to student accommodations and school buildings has also forced evacuations.
Individual stories highlight the human cost. Hassan, a 23-year-old Indian medical student pursuing his third-year MBBS in Isfahan, returned home to Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir in mid-March as the situation worsened.
UNESCO-linked officials said the continued strikes are affecting access to education and damaging academic infrastructure.
As the conflict enters its sixth week on April 6, the disruption is increasingly visible—not only in damaged campuses but in the uncertainty facing students whose studies and future plans remain on hold.