Since the war began on February 28, bombs from the United States and Israel have damaged around 30 universities in Iran, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. Over 1,400 international scholars have condemned these attacks on academic and research institutions, including Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology and the Pasteur Institute. Despite claims from the U.S. and Israel that they do not target civilian infrastructure, these institutions have been hit. Before the conflict, students and academics were protesting for democracy and human rights, but the Iranian government suppressed these protests. Now, researchers like CERN physicist Abideh Jafari and ethicist Hamed Bikaraan-Behesht describe the challenges they face, including internet blackouts and the inability to focus on work due to the ongoing violence and fear.
QUESTION: How might the destruction of educational institutions during conflicts impact the future of a country?
‘Heartbreaking’: Iranian scientists on losing labs, libraries and liberty
