US-Israel Strike Iran's Top University, Killing 34 in Attack on Academic Infrastructure

US and Israeli forces killed at least 34 people including six children in strikes across Iran on April 6, 2026, hitting Sharif University in Tehran and at least 30 other Iranian universities since the war began February 28, 2026. The attacks came after President Donald Trump issued a Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of global oil and gas passes, or face strikes on power plants and bridges. Iran responded with four volleys of missiles at Israel on April 7, killing two in Haifa and injuring people across more than 20 locations. Tehran condemned the university strikes as war crimes and warned it would respond in kind to infrastructure attacks, while Trump's adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned that miscalculation could severely disrupt global energy flows and international trade.

US-Israeli strikes on Iranian universities and civilian infrastructure

• ▪US-Israeli strikes hit Sharif University in Tehran, one of Iran's leading scientific universities often compared with MIT
• ▪A US-Israeli air attack killed 23 people in Tehran province's Baharestan County on April 6, 2026, including four girls and two boys aged below 10 years
• ▪US-Israeli strikes hit at least a dozen Iranian cities including Bandar Abbas, Ahvaz, Mahshahr, Shiraz, Isfahan and Karaj
• ▪At least 30 Iranian universities have been hit by US-Israeli strikes since the beginning of the war on February 28, 2026
• ▪A US-Israeli strike damaged the research building of Shahid Beheshti University on April 4, 2026
• ▪At least 34 people were killed in United States and Israel attacks across Iran on April 6, 2026, including six children

Trump's ultimatum on the Strait of Hormuz blockade

• ▪US President Donald Trump set a Tuesday deadline for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on Iranian power plants and bridges
• ▪Donald Trump made an expletive-laden threat on Truth Social demanding that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face hell
• ▪Some 20 percent of global oil and gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪The Strait of Hormuz has been under effective blockade by Iran in response to the war

Iranian retaliatory attacks and warnings of escalation

• ▪A 34-year-old woman was seriously injured by interceptor missiles in Petah Tikva, Israel
• ▪Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei warned that Iran would respond to any attacks on its infrastructure by launching similar attacks in the region
• ▪Four volleys of Iranian missiles were launched at Israel in the early morning hours on Tuesday, April 7, 2026
• ▪Iranian missile attacks caused several injuries in more than 20 locations in Israel including Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva and Ramat Gan
• ▪Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said a single misstep by either country could severely disrupt global energy flows and international trade

Perspective of Iran

• ▪Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei characterized Donald Trump's statements as indicating a criminal mindset
• ▪Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated that Donald Trump's threats amounted to incitement to war crimes and crimes against humanity

Perspective of Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader

• ▪Ali Akbar Velayati warned that either side's misstep could cause severe disruption to global energy flows