What Do Satellite Images Reveal About Attacks on Educational Institutions in Iran?

The Shajarat Tayyiba Girls' Elementary School in Minab, Hormozgan Province, became the first educational institution struck during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, on February 28, 2026. It was not the last.

At least 165 schoolgirls were killed at the Minab school, according to Iran's Ministry of Education, out of a total of 312 fatalities recorded at schools targeted during the war. The Iranian Red Crescent estimated that 857 schools were either directly hit or damaged by strikes on nearby locations.

Misbar's team at Al Araby TV verified damage to 16 major Iranian universities, including eight universities listed under international sanctions and eight that are not.

The deliberate targeting of schools, universities, and educational facilities may constitute a war crime, not only because they are civilian objects protected under Article 52 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, but also because of their educational function. Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court classifies intentional attacks on buildings dedicated to education as war crimes, while U.N. Security Council Resolution 1998 identifies attacks on schools as violations of international law.

Two Schools and an Educational Camp in One City

In addition to the Minab school—which previous investigations, including one by Misbar, concluded was struck by a U.S. airstrike—another school was indirectly affected on February 28 after a nearby site was bombed, killing an 11-year-old student.

The second school was Imam Reza Boys' Elementary School in Abyek, Qazvin Province. Security camera footage showed the school being struck by shrapnel from an airstrike targeting a telecommunications tower located about 100 meters away.

Schools continued to be affected throughout March, with dozens of direct and indirect strikes reported across the country. Among them were two schools in Khomein, Markazi Province, which Misbar documented as having been directly struck on March 7 and March 10, as well as an educational camp on the outskirts of the city.

The educational camp was reportedly targeted at least twice—on March 3 and March 8. Those dates correspond with satellite imagery analyzed by Misbar, which shows one building destroyed between March 2 and March 7, while another appears destroyed in imagery captured on March 17.

Using photographs and videos published by Iranian media, Misbar geolocated Shaqayeq Girls' Elementary School and matched the visuals with satellite imagery.

The available imagery shows one of the school's two buildings completely destroyed, while much of the second building also sustained severe damage. Nearby buildings were likewise heavily affected.

Sentinel-2 satellite imagery captured after March 7 confirms the destruction. Images from March 17 show nearly all school buildings destroyed, with only a portion of one structure remaining—matching what appears in photographs and videos from the site.

The second school is located near Basij Square in Khomein. Misbar identified it through satellite imagery dated March 17, matching media reports that Dr. Hafezi Girls' High School was struck on March 10.

Misbar also geolocated the school using footage from an Iranian state television report documenting the site after the attack.

Universities in the Crosshairs

According to Iranian sources, more than 30 universities were affected by U.S.-Israeli attacks. Through geolocation and satellite imagery analysis, Misbar independently verified damage to 16 universities, including institutions directly targeted and others damaged by nearby strikes.

Among them was Urmia University in West Azerbaijan Province. Misbar's analysis indicates that the damage did not result from a direct strike on the campus itself but from an attack on an adjacent commercial building identified through OpenStreetMap.

One of the most prominent universities directly struck was Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, often referred to as the "MIT of Iran." It ranks first among Iranian universities and 76th in Asia, according to the Times Higher Education rankings.

The university has long been accused of links to Iran's military programs. Since 2012, the United States has imposed sanctions on individuals and entities affiliated with the university under Iran and nuclear non-proliferation sanctions, before later sanctioning the university itself. The European Union, United Kingdom, Belgium, and Canada have also sanctioned the institution under various regimes, including those related to sensitive technology research.

Israeli reports have described Sharif University as an academic cover for a covert network established in the 1990s to support Iran's nuclear program. Those claims rely on a 2012 report by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), which cited leaked documents alleging the university had been used as a front for procuring nuclear materials for Iran's Nuclear Energy Research Center and employed scientists involved in establishing the country's nuclear program.

On April 6, 2026, the university was hit in an airstrike. Misbar matched photographs and videos from the site with satellite imagery to identify the buildings that were struck.

The analysis found that the targeted building had been labeled "Computer Center" on OpenStreetMap 13 years earlier before being renamed "Information and Communications Technology Center" two years ago. This aligns with Iranian authorities' statement that the strike hit the country's computing and data center, which they described as infrastructure supporting Iran's artificial intelligence development.

Medium-resolution satellite imagery also shows visible changes at the site between February 25, before the war, and April 11, several days after the strike, indicating extensive destruction.

Direct Strikes on Non-Sanctioned Universities

Among the universities Misbar documented as damaged during the war were eight institutions not currently listed under international sanctions. One of them was Isfahan University of Technology, which was reportedly struck twice.

The first attack was reported on March 26, when Fars News Agency, citing the university's public relations office, said an early morning strike damaged a campus building without causing casualties.

Satellite imagery analyzed by Misbar confirms direct strike damage to a building inside the university campus.

OpenStreetMap identifies the damaged structure as the Institute of Information and Communications Technology Research.

On March 29, Iranian media, again citing the university's public relations office, reported that the university had been struck a second time, injuring four staff members.

Although the university is not currently included in U.S. or E.U. sanctions databases, it appeared on a 2012 U.K. government advisory list of Iranian entities requiring enhanced export scrutiny, though without a formal prohibition on engagement.

Ranked third among Iran's universities, Isfahan University of Technology has contributed to the country's first national air traffic surveillance radar project and the design of Iran's first domestically developed submarine.

Read More

Satellite Images Reveal U.S. Aircraft Carrier Deployments Near Iran’s Coast

Satellite Images Reveal Damage at Iranian Military Facility Near Strait of Hormuz