Hawzah News Agency- The letter, issued in both English and Arabic, calls on academics to embrace their responsibility as “guardians of reason and the awakened conscience of human society,” and warns of the alarming erosion of international norms and institutions amid escalating global tensions.
Dr. Banaei strongly condemned the June military strikes on Iran, describing them as a blatant violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter. He noted that the peaceful nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—operating under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency—were among the primary targets. The attack resulted in the deaths of 15 scientific elites and university professors, alongside thousands of civilian casualties and widespread destruction of national infrastructure.
Iran’s response, he argued, was “within the framework of the inherent right of self-defense.”
A key section of the letter draws a parallel to the long-standing Palestinian conflict, warning against the rise of what Dr. Banaei called “legal exceptionalism”—a dangerous precedent whereby certain state actors exempt themselves from international obligations and apply double standards, thus weakening the global legal order.
“The silence of the scientific community in such circumstances is unacceptable,” the letter states. “Academia must not remain a passive observer in the face of injustice, aggression, and the targeted elimination of knowledge bearers.”
Dr. Banaei’s letter proposes several initiatives to mobilize global academic action:
- Establishing international research networks to systematically document war crimes
- Strengthening scientific diplomacy through joint academic conferences and forums
- Publishing strategic reports aimed at influencing public policy and reforming flawed global governance structures
Tolo Mehr University emphasized that these efforts are not merely political, but vital to defending shared human values, preserving intellectual integrity, and fostering a just and sustainable global peace.
The outreach effort represents one of the strongest appeals yet from Iran’s academic sector to the international scholarly community, as it seeks solidarity and action amid growing geopolitical threats and attacks on its scientific institutions.
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