‘They hit Iran’s MIT’: Tehran vows retaliation after strike on Sharif University

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday (April 6) accused Israeli-US forces of attacking Sharif University in Tehran, which is also known as the MIT of Iran, saying the site was attacked following previous strikes on other educational institutes.

"Israeli-US aggressors have bombed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Iran," he posted on X, along with photos of destruction at the university. "Aggressors will witness our might."

Araghchi invoked Prophet Muhammad, emphasising Iranian society's quest for knowledge, "1,400 years ago, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that even if knowledge was situated in the distant Pleiades, Iranians would be capable of attaining it."

Tehran's remarks come as over 30 universities have been directly targeted by US-Israeli forces since the start of the conflict, according to the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology.

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On the opening day of the attack, a girls' school was struck when a missile strike destroyed the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school in Minab. The attack killed about 170 people, including over 110 children and 26 teachers, during morning classes.

The war in West Asia, triggered by a massive joint US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran on February 28, has entered a critical stage as a pivotal diplomatic deadline looms. Dubbed Operation Epic Fury by the Pentagon, the offensive was initially presented as a pre-emptive strike to dismantle Tehran's nuclear and missile infrastructure.

The conflict has reached a boiling point on Monday, as President Donald Trump's ultimatum to Tehran approaches. The United States has warned that if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened to international traffic, the coalition will launch strikes against Iran's core energy infrastructure, specifically targeting power plants. This blockade has already sent global oil prices soaring past $114 per barrel, prompting President Trump to warn that power plants could be next if no agreement is reached.