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Iran has threatened to target American and Israeli university campuses in the Middle East after a series of alleged US-Israeli airstrikes that targeted an Iranian university.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Over the weekend, Iranian media and officials reported that US-Israeli airstrikes struck multiple academic institutions, including Isfahan University of Technology and Iran University of Science and Technology, with claims that research facilities and campus buildings were damaged. The university said one of its research facilities was struck, with nearby buildings also sustaining damage, and four staff members were reportedly injured. Iranian authorities characterized the strikes as unjustified attacks on civilian educational infrastructure and evidence of escalating aggression. As of now, there has been no clear confirmation from the US or Israel acknowledging responsibility for these specific strikes.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a direct threat stating that “all universities of the occupying regime and American universities in West Asia are legitimate targets” and warned that this stance would remain “until two universities are struck in retaliation for the Iranian universities that have been destroyed.” They warned that “all staff, professors, and students… as well as residents in their surroundings, are advised to stay at least one kilometer away” from US and Israeli campuses in the region, framing the warning as a measure to “preserve their lives.”

They also issued an ultimatum to the US, demanding an official condemnation of the strikes on Iranian universities and a halt to attacks on academic institutions, or else “the threat remains valid and will be carried out.”

The threat has raised alarm because some major American universities operate campuses across the region, including New York University in Abu Dhabi and Texas A&M University in Qatar.

Iranian officials also echoed this message, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi describing the attacks on their universities as acts of “desperation” that would “only inspire further pursuit of knowledge.” Iranian government spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, “Nothing hurts them more than witnessing science and technology rooted in the indigenous capabilities of Iran’s young generation.”