University Research Center in Tehran Severely Damaged in Airstrike

A laser and plasma research centre in Tehran has been severely damaged following an airstrike on Friday.

The centre is part of Iran’s prestigious Shahid Beheshti University.

It was not clear if the strike was carried out by the United States or Israel or why the centre was targeted. Iranian media did not report any casualties.

Associated Press journalists visited the centre as part of a government media tour.

Iran’s Minister of Science, Research and Technology, accused the “enemy” of “stone age” behaviour.

“The enemy with no roots in history, culture and civilisation is acting worse than (humans living) in the stone age and attack a scientific centre,” said Hossein Simaei Sarraf, during a visit to the site.

Simaei Sarraf said millions of Iranian students have been deprived from education as a result of the war.

He also said some 5 professors and 60 university students have been killed during the war, which broke out in late February.

Israel has said it has killed several Iranian scientists since the start of the war .”