U.S.-Israeli Strike Damages Sharif University in Tehran

A joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike struck Iran's Sharif University of Technology in Tehran on Monday, damaging multiple buildings including an artificial intelligence center, laboratories, and a mosque on the campus. The attack, which occurred amid an escalating conflict now in its sixth week, knocked out the university's website and online services, according to Iranian officials.

University President Masoud Tajrishi described the strike as an effort to hinder Iran's scientific advancement. "We believe the reason the enemy targeted these buildings and destroyed the entire infrastructure is that it did not want us to achieve AI technology," Tajrishi said during a visit to the site on Tuesday. He noted that the facility had spent two years developing AI models in Persian, serving hundreds of companies, and that all research was conducted domestically due to U.S. sanctions limiting international collaboration. No casualties were reported at the university, where classes have shifted online for safety.

The assault on Sharif, often called Iran's equivalent to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is part of a broader U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign that has targeted over 30...