In a statement, leading string theorists condemned the attacks on universities in Middle Eastern countries.
Published on 23 April 2026
A group of prominent Indian physicists specializing in string theory have expressed solidarity with academics in Iran, Palestine and Lebanon, and condemned attacks on universities and civilian institutions during the conflicts involving Israel and the United States.
In a statement, more than 50 string theorists – physicists working at the cutting edge of mankind’s understanding of nature – said they wanted to “express our heartfelt solidarity” with scholars and citizens of the three countries over what they described as “the recent war initiated by the United States and Israel.”
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Ashok Sen and Spenta Wadia, both award-winning, globally renowned theoretical physicists, were among the signatories of the statement, which spanned India’s top science and technology universities and research laboratories.
“Universities and educational institutions in Iran as well as in Lebanon and Palestine have been attacked during the war,” the group said, listing sites including Sharif University of Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Iran University of Science and Technology, Isfahan University of Technology and Lebanese University.
Indian scientists said the attacks were “part of a wider attack on civilian sites, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives and the displacement of millions”.
The group also referred to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, saying, “Almost all the universities and schools there have been destroyed.
“We unequivocally condemn these crimes against humanity, which, in addition to the tragic loss of life, will cause long-term damage to the future of education and research in these areas,” he said.
The intervention comes as the ceasefire remains fragile across the region, with continued reports of violence in Lebanon and Gaza and tensions with Iran rising.
In southern Lebanon, despite an existing ceasefire, Israeli strikes killed five people on Wednesday, including a journalist. At least five Palestinians, including three children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Thursday.
Meanwhile, in Iran, senior officials have accused Washington of stalling peace talks through a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
India is a global leader in string theory, a mathematical framework in which the fundamental components of reality are one-dimensional extended objects called strings, rather than zero-dimensional point particles.
