On Sunday, Iran announced it would begin treating American college campuses in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" for its military. This declaration followed Iran's claims that US-Israeli strikes this weekend hit Isfahan University of Technology and Tehran University of Science and Technology.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement on Sunday on X, stating that all universities of the "occupying regime" and American universities in the West Asia region would be legitimate targets. The IRGC advised all staff, professors, and students of American universities in the region, as well as residents in their surroundings, to stay at least one kilometer away to ensure their safety.

The university told state media the strike damaged several buildings and wounded four staff members. Iran gave the U.S. a Monday deadline to condemn the strikes on Isfahan University and commit to no more attacks on institutes of higher learning.

Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Seyed Abbas Araghchi said strikes on Tehran’s universities were a sign of “desperation” and “only inspire more pursuit of knowledge,” in a post on X.

Iran’s spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said in a statement to the state-affiliated Fars News Agency that nothing hurts them more than witnessing science and technology rooted in the indigenous capabilities of Iran’s young generation. He added that these capabilities have advanced to the point where Iran now depends more on its own strengths than on any foreign country.

Several American universities, such as New York University, Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, and Texas A&M, have satellite campuses in regional countries like Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia.