The Take · Al Jazeera

Why Iran says its universities are being targeted

April 1, 2026·23 min·2 clips

Sattara Sadeghi describes how Iranians attended a funeral and went to cafes hours after 2,000-pound bombs hit Isfahan.

This episode of The Take examines why Iran claims its universities are being deliberately targeted by U.S. and Israeli military actions. Host Malika Bilal interviews Sattara Sadeghi, an assistant professor at the University of Tehran currently based in Isfahan. Sadeghi describes experiencing a major overnight bombing in her hometown just hours before the interview. The discussion centers on a pattern of attacks on educational and scientific sites, beginning with a Tomahawk missile strike on Minab Elementary School that reportedly killed over a hundred students and teachers. Sadeghi cites the bombing of the University of Science and Technology in Tehran and a second strike on Isfahan University of Technology. She references the assassination of scientists like Dr. Shamak Dari and attacks on a pharmaceutical company producing cancer medicine and an IVF clinic. The Iranian government moved all university classes online for safety following these incidents. A striking insight is Sadeghi's description of daily life in Isfahan continuing normally with cafes, parks, and shops open just hours after heavy bombardments. She argues these attacks aim to cripple Iran's scientific foundation, noting the country ranks among the top ten in nanotechnology and produces most of its medicines domestically. The episode draws a direct parallel to the destruction of all universities in Gaza, suggesting a repeated tactical playbook. Sadeghi contends that acquiring knowledge itself is an act of resisting imperialism and "colonization of the mind." The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned American universities in the region to evacuate, threatening retaliatory strikes. Sadeghi frames Iran's warning and any potential response as an unprecedented act of self-defense and a bid to bring "justice" for assassinated scientists across the region. She explains that while internet access is severely restricted, universities use domestic e-learning systems and some professionals receive temporary international access. The tone is conversational and educational, blending personal narrative with geopolitical analysis from an Iranian academic perspective. The style is descriptive and analytical, using specific attacks and personal experiences to build an argument about a broader military strategy. Listeners interested in on-the-ground accounts of conflict and critiques of Western foreign policy in the Middle East would find this episode compelling. Those seeking a balanced debate with official U.S. or Israeli perspectives might find it less informative.

As heard by us

A war story that treats universities as a frontline, not a backdrop.

The Take uses its Iran episode to ask a plain but hard question: what exactly is under attack when universities are hit. Malika Bilal speaks with Sattara Sadeghi about campus life, the shift to remote classes, and the fear of seeing universities reduced to rubble, while also…

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Why you'd press play

You want a war story told through the people trying to keep a university alive in real time.

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