3 ways universities are coping with the US-Israel War on Iran

“The first missile of the US-Israel war on Iran did not strike a weapons depot. Rather, it struck a girls’ elementary school in Minab — killing at least 170 people, most of them children between seven and twelve years old. What followed shown a pattern showing that the US-Israel war on Iran marks a volatile attempt at cutting back Iran’s outstanding domestic research and technological prowess . Iran’s science minister, Hossein Simai Sarraf, states that since the war begun, 30 universities have been hit by the US-Israeli strikes. Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, known as the nation’s own Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was one of them — destroying the campus mosque and several laboratories in the process. “The bunker-buster bomb attack on Sharif University is a symbol of Trump’s madness and ignorance,” Mohammad Reza Aref, first vice president of Iran, posted on X. “He fails to understand that Iran’s knowledge is not embedded in concrete to be destroyed by bomb; the true fortress is the will of our professors and elites.” When did the US-Israel war on Iran start? On February 28, 2026, the US and Israel launched a surprise daytime attack on Iran. Since then, more than 3,000 people have been killed. A missile had struck a girls’s elementary school in Minab. The Iranian Supreme Leader was assassinated by the first day. This marks the escalation of the US-Israel war on Iran. Alongside the grief of the thousand lives lost, the conflict has caused this worldwide instability. Gas prices have jumped by 35% since the start of the conflict. In addition to mass displacement, the World Food Programme had predicted that 45 million people would face acute hunger. Aerial bombings result in toxic exposure that will lead to long-term health crises . Today, US-Israel strikes have begun targeting Lebanon, where over 2,300 people have already been killed. Aside from closures, universities are moving to remote learning Turning into what the CNN calls the “new frontline” of the US-Israel war on Iran, many universities have been forced into closure. On the first day of the strikes, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council issued a notice that schools and universities are to remain closed until further notice. Many institutions have moved to remote learning. American institutions with campuses in the Middle East, including New York University, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, and more. In the Emirates and Bahrain, for example, ministries have announced a pivot to distance education. Still, countless international students and staff from universities abroad are left stranded in the region due to the widespread disruption of airspaces — many closed or simply emptied. Universities are providing institutional support to students affected Many universities across the world are reaffirming institutional support for students and staff members affected by the Middle Eastern conflict. On March 1, Monash University stated that students facing travel disruptions to Australia will not be affected in their enrolment or academic standing, with services such as university counselling and flexible study options offered to those affected, whether on or off campus. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Al Jazeera English (@aljazeeraenglish) Same goes for Johns Hopkins University, which states it had communicated with students, staff, and faculty regarding the ongoing conflict. An event was held on March 2, dedicated specifically towards Iranian and Persian student support . “Earlier this month, the university…reached out directly to individuals from the affected areas to ensure that members of our community were aware of State Department guidance for those who may be traveling to countries in the region and to share resources for members of our community who may be impacted,” a university spokesperson wrote. Students continue to stand, even as they are forced to back down Despite the trauma inflicted on Iranian students, with many unable to obtain visas to study abroad, the spirit to fight back stands. Peyman Jafari, an Iranian refugee and researcher in the Netherlands says: “I think Iranian students are now extra motivated to rebuild the country . You can already see students volunteering to help with reconstruction. It will be difficult, but they are motivated.” Iranian campuses are known to be the “ centres of political activism. ” While many have been forced into closure, it does not negate a history of “organisational agility, moral clarity, and remarkable resilience in the face of repression.” All the way in Iowa State University in the US, for example, Iranian students are risking their own safety to participate in protests again the US-Israel war on Iran “despite strict control of information.”

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