Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that Israeli and American universities in West Asia would be treated as “legitimate targets” for retaliation following strikes on a major Iranian academic institution.According to media reports, the IRGC condemned what it described as “American-Zionist aggressor forces” for allegedly bombing Tehran’s University of Science and Technology.The force declared that universities linked to Israel and the United States in the region would remain under threat until “at least two” such institutions were struck in retaliation.It also issued a warning to faculty, students and residents in the vicinity of these campuses, advising them to maintain a distance of at least one kilometre for their safety, Iranian Press TV news channel reported.As per the report, the IRGC outlined conditions under which the threatened institutions could avoid retaliatory action. It said the US government must issue, by 12 noon on March 30, an official statement condemning the attacks on Iranian universities.The latest warning follows a strike on the Tehran-based university on Saturday, which reportedly damaged parts of its scientific and research infrastructure. Earlier, the Isfahan University of Technology was also hit, with at least one building sustaining damage.Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi alleged that Israeli strikes had targeted key infrastructure, including steel plants, a power facility and civilian nuclear sites. He claimed the attacks contradicted ongoing diplomatic efforts and warned that Iran would impose a “heavy price” for what he termed Israeli actions.Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the attacks on the Isfahan University of Technology and Tehran’s University of Science and Technology were part of a broader pattern over the past 30 days.He alleged that universities, research centres, historical sites and prominent scientists had been deliberately targeted as part of what he described as an “illegal war” aimed at weakening Iran’s scientific and cultural foundations. Baqaei further claimed that concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme were being used as a pretext to justify the strikes, calling them “fabrications designed to conceal their real intention”.