Razieh Alishvandi, deputy for international affairs and humanitarian law at the Red Crescent Society, said Sunday that “the enemy has so far targeted about 600 educational centers, including schools, universities and other academic facilities,” endangering the lives of students, researchers and professors and leaving many killed.

She stressed that educational institutions are fully protected under international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, adding that “failure to observe these protections constitutes a violation of international laws and can be considered a war crime.”

Alishvandi also pointed to a recent strike on a university physics faculty building, saying the facility “had no military use” but sustained heavy damage to classrooms and professors’ offices. She said the attack demonstrated “complete disregard for the civilian nature of these centers.”

The official added that the Iranian Red Crescent has formally raised the issue with the International Committee of the Red Cross, sending a letter to its president.

“Based on international law and expert opinion, these cases can be regarded as war crimes,” she said.

The United States and Israel launched a war of aggression against Iran on February 28, assassinating Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and top military commanders and targeting civilian infrastructure across the country. At the time, Tehran and Washington were negotiating on the nuclear issue.