Iran has threatened to target American university campuses in the Middle East if the United States does not condemn recent strikes on Iranian educational institutions. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard set a Monday deadline for Washington to issue a formal statement, warning that students, professors and staff linked to American schools in the region should remain at least one kilometer away from their campuses.

Tehran says weekend strikes damaged buildings near the Tehran University of Science and Technology, though no casualties were reported. The threat comes after a series of deadly missile attacks on Iranian education sites, including an elementary school in Minab that killed 175 people, most of them children. A United States military investigation found American forces were likely responsible for that strike due to outdated intelligence.

Several American universities operate branch campuses in countries such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, serving thousands of students. One university has already shifted to remote learning and sent most international staff home amid the escalating conflict.

The warning coincides with reports that President Donald Trump is considering a high risk military operation to send special operations forces into Iran to seize enriched uranium from key nuclear sites. Officials caution that such a mission could significantly widen the conflict and place American troops in prolonged danger inside hostile territory.