The American University of Armenia (AUA) has shifted to remote lectures following threats from Iran to target US and Israeli universities in retaliation for attacks on Iranian universities. The AUA described the move as a ‘precautionary measure’, while stressing that it has received no direct threats.
The university released a statement on Monday noting that all classes planned for the day would be held ‘fully online’.
It added that the AUA was ‘monitoring the situation closely’ and would provide updates on any changes to the schedule if they occur.
‘In taking this step, we emphasise that we have received no direct threats against our university, and no indication that we are in any kind of danger, so there is no cause for alarm’, the AUA underscored in its statement.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued its warning on 29 March, weeks into its conflict with the US and Israel. It warned that Israeli and US universities ‘in the West Asia region’ were ‘legitimate targets’ in retaliation for Iranian universities damaged in US and Israeli attacks.
The IRGC issued the threats following the bombing of Tehran University of Science and Technology, as well as the ‘targeting Iranian universities with their bombings for the umpteenth time’.
The IRGC urged staff, students of American universities, as well as people residing near such institutions, ‘to stay at least one kilometre away from these universities to ensure their safety’.
It also issued a precondition: if the US government wanted its universities “to be spared at this stage beyond the two retaliatory targets, it must, by no later than 12:00 on Monday, 30 March (Tehran time), issue an official statement condemning the bombing of universities’.
‘If it also wants to prevent further strikes on its universities in the region, it must restrain its allied forces from attacking universities and research centres. Otherwise, the threat remains valid and will be carried out’, the statement concluded.
Following the threat, the American University of Beirut moved classes online, and the US Embassy in Iraq warned that American universities in Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah, and Dohuk could also be targeted.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
Armenia has good relations with Iran, with whom it shares an open border, unlike Turkey and Azerbaijan. There is also a modest population of ethnic Armenians in Iran, numbering some 60,000 to 80,000, according to various estimates.
Armenia’s government programme for 2021–2026 describes the bilateral relations with Iran as ‘special’, adding that Yerevan is seeking ‘to further develop’ ties. Despite Armenia fostering closer bonds to the West, including the US, Armenia has continued to maintain its cordial relationship with Iran.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated in mid-March that Armenia had sent its first humanitarian aid to Iran since the war broke out there on 28 February.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
