A prominent international academic organization focused on Iranian studies has urged the United Nations and the European Union to condemn US-Israeli attacks on universities and educational institutions in Iran during the March and April conflict.
In a letter dated May 11, the Committee on Academic Freedom of the Association for Iranian Studies (AIS) warned that Iran’s educational system had become “a frontline in the widening U.S.-Israel war against the country.”
The letter was addressed to several senior international figures, including UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The group accused the United States and Israel of systematically targeting universities, schools, research centers and medical institutions in violation of international humanitarian law.
It cited reported damage to major universities including Sharif University of Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Amir Kabir University and the Iran University of Science and Technology.
AIS, founded in 1967, is one of the leading international scholarly organizations focused on Iran and Persianate studies. Its Committee on Academic Freedom has frequently criticized the Islamic Republic’s repression of student activism, arrests of academics and crackdowns on campuses following protests and political unrest in Iran.
In its latest statement, the group argued that the war had compounded the trauma already inflicted on Iranian students and universities by state repression.
“The 2026 war and the resulting disruption of education, following upon such attacks and repressive measures, have inflicted both physical and psychological trauma on students at all levels—effects that many young Iranians are likely to carry throughout their lives,” the letter said.
The letter also referred to strikes on medical research institutions including the Pasteur Institute of Iran and the Tofigh Daru pharmaceutical research center, as well as attacks on schools.
It rejected US-Israeli arguments that some institutions constituted legitimate “dual use” targets because of alleged links to Iran’s military sector, arguing that such claims ignored proportionality and the cumulative harm inflicted on civilians and educational infrastructure.
The organization called for international condemnation of attacks on educational institutions, pressure to end the war and support for rebuilding damaged academic infrastructure.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran’s proposal included ending the war in the region, lifting what he described as the US blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets, ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and restoring regional security.
“The Islamic Republic has proven that it is a responsible power in the region,” Baghaei said during his weekly briefing. “We are not bullies; we stand against bullies.”
He accused Washington of continuing to insist on “unreasonable” demands.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed Iran’s latest response to a US proposal as “totally unacceptable,” while Iranian state media said Tehran rejected what it described as Washington’s “excessive demands.”
The dispute appears to center on two of the war’s most contentious issues: Iran’s insistence on sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and Washington’s demands over Tehran’s nuclear program, particularly its stockpile of enriched uranium and enrichment infrastructure.
Tehran says focus remains on ending war
Baghaei said Iran was not currently focused on decisions related to uranium enrichment or the future of its nuclear activities.
“At the current stage, our focus is on ending the war,” he said. “Later, regarding the nuclear issue, Iran’s materials and matters related to enrichment, we will discuss those issues when the time comes.”
Several countries, particularly in the region, had contacted Tehran because of concerns over further escalation, he added.
“We have always appreciated parties that sincerely try to persuade the other sides to stop creating tensions,” Baghaei said.
Pakistan acting as ‘mediator’
Baghaei described Pakistan as an “official mediator” between Tehran and Washington and said other countries, including Qatar, were also maintaining contacts with both sides and sharing proposals with Iran’s foreign minister.
Baghaei also urged European countries not to be drawn into the conflict through what he described as pressure from the United States and Israel.
“We clearly told European countries not to allow temptations from the United States or Israel on regional issues to drag them into a crisis that will bring them no benefit,” he said.
Many European governments, he added, understood the war had been “illegal, immoral and aggressive” and had resisted pressure to openly support actions he said “undermined international peace and security.”
Shakourzadeh, Mizan said, had been recruited into a major scientific organization active in the satellite sector because of his expertise, but did not identify the institution or provide evidence supporting the espionage allegations.
The judiciary-linked outlet accused the 29-year-old of transferring classified information to “enemy services.”
Shakourzadeh, a master’s holder in aerospace engineering and graduate of Iran University of Science and Technology, was arrested in 2025 by the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence organization on charges of spying and cooperating with hostile countries.
Rights groups said he spent nine months in solitary confinement before his execution.
Rights groups warned execution was imminent
The Tavana educational initiative reported on May 8 that Shakourzadeh had been transferred from Tehran’s Evin prison to Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj for the implementation of his death sentence.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency and the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights also warned that his execution could be carried out imminently after the Supreme Court upheld the sentence.
Iran Human Rights called on May 9 for an immediate halt to the execution, saying Shakourzadeh had been moved to Ghezel Hesar prison on May 7.
The judiciary has not released details about his trial proceedings or legal representation.
Executions accelerate after war
Iran International reported on May 7 that at least 28 political prisoners were executed in the 48 days following March 18.
The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center said the Islamic Republic carried out at least 612 executions in the first four months of 2026, averaging at least five executions a day over a 117-day period.
At least 21 protesters and political prisoners have been executed over the past month, according to rights monitors, including several people arrested during the January 2026 protests.
Among the latest cases were Baluch political prisoner Amer Ramesh, protester Erfan Kiani and political prisoner Soltanali Shirzadi Fakhr, who were executed on April 26, 25 and 23 respectively.
Mehdi Farid, identified by Iranian media as a manager in the passive defense committee of a sensitive state organization, was executed on April 22 on charges of spying for Israel.
Aqil Keshavarz, Javad Naeimi, Bahram Choobi Asl, Babak Shahbazi, Rouzbeh Vadi, Majid Mosayebi and Kourosh Keyvani were also among those executed over the past year on espionage-related charges.
Annual report shows surge in executions
Iran Human Rights and the group Together Against the Death Penalty said in a joint annual report released in late April that executions in Iran rose by 68% in 2025.
The groups said at least 1,639 people were executed in Iran in 2025 in cases linked to ordinary criminal and political charges, compared to at least 975 recorded executions in 2024.
Rights organizations say authorities have intensified repression of political and civil activists since the outbreak of the war on February 28 and accelerated executions after the ceasefire in what campaigners describe as an effort to spread fear and deter dissent.
