Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, on Sunday warning the US against attempting any kind of a ground invasion, said Iranian forces were actively “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever.”
“Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place. Our determination and faith have increased,” he added.
The Iranian parliament speaker slamming the US’ 15-point plan – which was delivered to Tehran via Pakistan last week – called it wishful thinking, and said the Trump administration was attempting to do through its plan what it had failed to achieve by the use of force.
“As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is clear: Far be it from us to accept humiliation,” Ghalibaf said.
Meanwhile, the IRGC threatened to target branches of Israeli and American educational facilities in the region, calling them “legitimate targets” if Washington does not condemn its bombing of Iranian universities.
“If the U.S. government wants its universities in the region spared, it should condemn the bombardment of (Iranian) universities by 12 o’clock Monday, March 30, in an official statement,” the Guard said in a statement, according to state media.
The group urged the evacuation of American and Israeli educational facilities and told students and staff to stay at least one km away.
The paramilitary group further urged Washington to stop Jerusalem from striking Iranian universities and research centers, which were recently attacked. Israel’s military has acknowledged striking Iranian universities it says are connected to weapons development.
American colleges, including Georgetown, New York University and Northwestern, have campuses in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The warnings have already triggered precautionary measures, with American University of Beirut saying that it would shift to remote operations temporarily, citing safety concerns, while the US Embassy in Baghdad warned that Iran and allied militias may target universities in Iraq perceived to be linked to the US.
This marks the first time that Iran has threatened to strike Israeli and American universities, in a significant escalation. Many universities around the region have already moved to teaching online since the US and Israeli attacks on Iran triggered the ongoing war in the region.
