Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has strongly criticized the United States following an alleged bomb strike on Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, calling the attack a sign of American “madness and ignorance.” In a passionate post on X, Aref, who is a Stanford University-educated engineer, targeted former President Donald Trump over the reported strike. “The bomb attack on Sharif University is a symbol of Trump’s madness and ignorance,” he wrote, expressing his outrage in one of the most direct official responses from Tehran.
Aref also defended Iran’s intellectual heritage against what he saw as cultural and scientific aggression. He stated that Iran’s knowledge cannot be confined within walls or concrete and, therefore, cannot be destroyed by bombs. “The true fortress is the will of our professors and elites,” he insisted, noting that no act of “barbarity” in history has ever succeeded in dividing science from the Iranian people.
The strike, which happened early Monday, has not been officially confirmed or commented on by the United States government, leaving its purpose and extent unclear. Sharif University of Technology is considered Iran’s top scientific institution, often compared to MIT for its research and technological contributions. However, the university has a history of controversy; several of its affiliated professors have been killed over the years, with Western and Israeli intelligence agencies accused of targeting academics thought to be connected to Iran’s nuclear program.
The reported attack on such a significant institution represents a serious and provocative moment in the growing tensions between Tehran and Washington, with Iranian officials indicating they will not be silenced or intimidated.