International condemnation is mounting after a US-Israeli strike heavily damaged Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, one of Iran’s leading academic institutions.
US Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari criticised the attack, describing the university as “Iran’s MIT” and questioning the targeting of a campus in a densely populated capital.
Sharif University, renowned for its excellence in science, engineering and artificial intelligence (AI) programmes, has reportedly sustained extensive damage.
Initial media reports suggest that many laboratories have been destroyed, campus infrastructure was hit, and surrounding roads were left cratered. Iranian state media reported that at least 34 people were killed nationwide in the latest wave of strikes, including six children.
Former Human Rights Watch director Kenneth Roth said the attack could amount to a war crime and “Gaza redux”.
“Israel struck Iran’s elite Sharif University of Technology, the latest Israeli strike on Iranian universities over the past week in Tehran and Isfahan as Israel pursues the war-crime destruction of Iranian society,” he wrote on X.
Criticism has spread internationally.
India’s National Herald newspaper described the strike as “another war crime by US-Israel”, adding that global outrage is growing. The editorial noted that Sharif University has produced internationally recognised scholars, including Fields Medal laureates.
Noted US academic Vali Nasr said that Sharif University of Technology is an icon of modernisation and progress.
“Its alumni include the first woman to win the Fields Medal in Mathematics, Maryam Mirzakhani. It has been a national symbol of achievement, gaining international recognition for the quality of its graduates, a large number of whom have been admitted into the very best engineering programs in the West. The aim of this kind of wanton destruction could only be the nation of Iran itself,” he added.
Washington, DC-based Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and geopolitical strategist, called the attack on Sharif University “disgraceful.”
“The US/Israel just bombed Sharif University in Tehran. This is not only Iran's best university, but also a top 100 global university in the field of Civil Engineering, “ he wrote on X.
Violation of international law
On social media, users from multiple countries condemned the strike, with some calling it a clear violation of international law.
More than 100 US-based legal scholars and international lawyers have signed an open letter warning that repeated attacks on universities and civilian infrastructure could constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law.
People like Oona A. Hathaway, Philip Alston, Jonathan Tracy, and William J. Aceves are among the signatories.
The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross also condemned "deliberate threats" against civilian targets.
ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said there had already been widespread destruction of "essential" infrastructure and that "any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law" and "indefensible".
Spoljaric spoke out as the conflict headed for a new crisis point with Trump threatening attacks on Iranian infrastructure.
She added: "States must respect and ensure respect for the rules of war in both what they say and what they do. The world cannot succumb to a political culture that prioritises death over life."
"I urgently call on parties to spare civilians and civilian objects in all military operations. It is their obligation under international humanitarian law."
Iranian officials strongly condemned the strike on Sharif University.
First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, a PhD from Stanford, called the attack on Sharif University “a symbol of Trump’s madness and ignorance”, arguing that Iran’s scientific capacity could not be destroyed through military action.
Science Minister Hossein Simaee Sarraf described the attack on the university as “crimes against humanity”.
Sharif University president Masoud Tajrishi said the institution would rebuild, despite the damage to research facilities and lecture halls.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei accused the US of “incitement to war crimes” following threats to target civilian infrastructure.
Despite the broader war, the damage to Sharif University has become a focal point of criticism.
“Israeli-US aggressors have bombed the MIT of Iran. This follows attacks on other universities,” Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, said.
“Aggressors will see our might,” he wrote on X.
