TEHRAN –The vice president for science, technology, and knowledge-based economy, Hossein Afshin, has called for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states to take effective and collaborative measures to protect the science and technology infrastructures of independent countries against foreign aggression.

In a letter to the secretary general and ministers of science and technology of the SCO member states, Afshin urged them to censure US-Israeli attacks on Iran’s scientific infrastructure and to adopt serious and effective measures to expand and strengthen scientific and technological cooperation.  

“The recent US-Israeli assaults on the scientific and technological infrastructures of Iran have resulted in injuries and martyrdom of innocent citizens, inflicted human suffering, and targeted parts of the country’s scientific and technological infrastructures,” the letter reads.  

“These actions are a clear violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law and the right of nations to scientific advancement and the pursuit of a just future based on sustainable development.

Parts of the research centers, laboratory infrastructure, data systems, and strategic technology facilities have been damaged in these attacks. The damage has not only disrupted the implementation of scientific projects but also affected the livelihoods of researchers, the growth of knowledge-based companies, and the employment opportunities for young people.

Halting or delaying startup activities, reducing investment, and damaging the technology ecosystem are among the consequences whose effects will extend beyond the current conditions and could adversely affect scientific and technological development in the long term.

Science and technology are the fundamental pillars of development and common human capital. Targeting scientific and technological infrastructure is considered an anti-developmental and unethical action that contradicts the principles of coexistence among nations.”

Attacks on science infrastructures

The strike on the Pasteur Institute of Tehran, a research and public health center with over a century of history and a member of the international Pasteur network, is a prime example of targeting scientific institutions as part of modern warfare.

According to Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Hossein Simaei-Sarraf, over 30 Iranian universities had been directly attacked by the United States and Israel since the war began in late February.

Five university professors and more than 60 students had been killed in the strikes, added Simaei-Sarraf, describing attacks on Iranian infrastructure as “crimes against humanity.”

“The main reason the enemy targeted this sensitive infrastructure was that they did not want us to gain access to this technology,” he said, adding that many Iranians abroad have contacted the university, offering to help fund its restoration.