Middle East war: 1,900 civilians killed, 30 universities hit – Iran

 

Iran has alleged that more than 1,900 civilians, including women and children, have been killed following what it described as coordinated military aggression by United States and Israeli forces against the Islamic Republic.

The claim was disclosed on Saturday during a media briefing by the Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, who also revealed that at least 20,000 others have sustained varying degrees of injuries in the ongoing attacks.

Iran’s Minister of Science, Hossein Simayi Sarraf, said the country’s educational infrastructure had been severely impacted, alleging that at least 30 universities were hit in the strikes.

Sarraf described the development as a “crime against humanity,” adding that the targeting of scientific and civilian facilities showed that the aggressors had “regressed to the Stone Age.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, warned of the risks posed by repeated attacks on the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Araghchi said the facility had been bombed four times by what he called a U.S.-Israeli alliance.

“Radioactive fallout will end life in GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) capitals, not Tehran,” he warned.

The minister also criticised what he termed the “hypocrisy” of Western powers, comparing the situation to the global concern over hostilities near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

He further argued that strikes on Iran’s petrochemical sector indicate broader objectives, alleging that the campaign is aimed at crippling the country’s economy alongside its civilian and scientific infrastructure.

Humanitarian organisations say the situation remains critical, as efforts continue to respond to the growing number of casualties amid sustained bombardments across Iranian territory.