Iran warns U.S. troops will be “set on fire” if Americans launch ground operation

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, on Sunday warned the United States against a ground invasion, threatening to set American troops “on fire” and step up attacks on U.S. allies, according to Iranian official media.

Ghalibaf said Iranian forces are “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 also described the U.S.’s 15-point plan, which Pakistan passed to Iran last week, as “their wishes” and said the Trump administration is attempting to do through the plan what it has failed to achieve by 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 Revolutionary Guard threatened to target branches of Israeli and American educational facilities in the region, calling them “legitimate targets” if the U.S. does not condemn the 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 kilometer away.

The Guard also demanded that the U.S. stop Israel from striking Iranian universities and research centers, which have been attacked in recent days. 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 American University of Beirut announced on Sunday that it would operate remotely over the next two days. President Fadlo Khouri said in a statement on the university’s website that while there is no evidence of direct threats against the university, “out of an abundance of caution,” they will be transitioning to online.

“Our highest priority has always been and will always be the safety of our community and the people we serve,” he said, adding, “We remain especially committed to teaching, healing, and serving those less fortunate, at all times. We at AUB will not be driven from our mission, by threats or violence. Not now, and not ever.”

This is the first time Iran has threatened to strike Israeli and American universities. Many universities around the region have already moved to teaching online since the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran triggered the ongoing war in the Middle East.

In a statement posted to X on Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad warned that Iran and allied militias “may intend to target the American Universities in Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah, and Dohuk, along with other universities perceived to be associated with the United States.”

The statement added that Iran and affiliated militias have already carried out “widespread attacks on U.S. citizens, targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq” and the “Iraqi government has not prevented terrorist attacks against the United States and regional countries from Iraqi territory.”