Iran war: IRGC says US campuses in Middle East at risk

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard instructed staff and students at US universities to remain at least one kilometer away from campus.

Meanwhile, reports suggest the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran.

Revolutionary Guard threatens to strike US universities in Middle East
Pentagon preparing to possibly deploy ground forces in Iran, The Washington Post reports
First contingent of US Marines arrives in Middle East
Here are the developments in the US-Israel war with Iran on Sunday, March 29, 2026:
Iran condemns Israeli killing of 3 journalists in Lebanon
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has condemned Israel's deadly attack on a media vehicle in southern Lebanon, calling it a "targeted assassination" and a "violation of international law."
Three journalists were killed in the Israeli strike in Jezzine on Saturday, their TV stations reported.

Hezbollah's al-Manar channel said its correspondent Ali Shoeib was killed, while Beirut-based Al Mayadeen TV said reporter Fatima Ftouni and her brother, video journalist Mohammed Ftouni, also died in the strike.

Rescuers on the scene were then stuck by a follow-up attack by the Israeli military that caused more deaths, according Reuters.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement saying it had targeted one of the journalists, alleging he was part of a Hezbollah intelligence unit operating under the guise of media work.

It did not mention the other two reporters.

The statement added that Shoeib "reported on the locations of IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon."
Al-Manar TV did not respond to the allegations but said its longtime war correspondent was "distinguished by his professional and credible reporting of events."
Pakistan hosting Saudi, Turkey, Egypt ministers for Iran war talks
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia , Turkey and Egypt were expected in Pakistan on Sunday for two days of talks on the conflict in the Middle East .

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is hosting the talks in Islamabad which don't involve any of the directly warring parties.

Nevertheless, in preparation for the talks, Dar held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Saturday, during which he emphasized the need for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable paths to peace.

"Dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the only way forward," Dar wrote on social media, tagging US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff and Araghchi in his post.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he also had a "detailed" call on Saturday with Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, who he called his "brother."
Sharif said he had encouraged Pezeshkian to take advantage of "Pakistan's ongoing diplomatic outreach — engaging the United States and brotherly Gulf and Islamic countries — to facilitate dialogue and de-escalation."
Pezeshkian praised Islamabad's efforts and "thanked Pakistan for its mediation efforts to stop the aggression against the Islamic republic," according to his office.

Pakistan has emerged as a key diplomatic link between Iran and the United States as the conflict drags on, serving as an intermediary for messages between the two sides.

Islamabad has longstanding links with Tehran and close contacts in the Gulf, while Prime Minister Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, the head of the armed forces, reportedly enjoy a good personal rapport with US President Donald Trump .

"Pakistan remains committed to supporting all efforts aimed at restoring regional peace and stability," said Foreign Minister Dar.

US-Israel war with Iran leaves Pakistan stuck between allies
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Israeli military says soldier killed in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military said on Sunday that a soldier was killed in combat in southern Lebanon .

"Sergeant Moshe Yitzchak Hacohen Katz, aged 22, from New Haven, Connecticut, a soldier of the 890th battalion, Paratroopers Brigade, fell during combat in southern Lebanon," a military statement said.

Five Israeli troops have now been killed in Lebanon's south since the conflict with Hezbollah reignited in early March.

Attacks across the Middle East early Sunday
Strikes were reported in several locations across the region in the early hours of Sunday morning:
WATCH: How much support does Hezbollah still have in Lebanon?

US reportedly preparing for weeks of ground operations
The Washington Post reported that US officials said the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran.

The Post, citing unnamed officials, said the operations would stop short of a full-scale invasion but would include raids on specific targets.

Targets could include Kharg Island and coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz, though President Donald Trump has not yet given the go-ahead, according to the newspaper.

There was no immediate comment from the Trump administration.

The report comes as about 2,500 US Marines arrived aboard an amphibious assault ship in the region.

Washington has deployed two Marine contingents of several thousand troops to the Middle East.

The Pentagon also plans to deploy thousands more soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that the US could meet its objectives without ground forces but said some troops were being sent to give Trump "maximum" strategic flexibility.

Iran warns US campuses in region could be targeted
Iran's Revolutionary Guard is threatening retaliation against US university campuses in the Middle East, saying US and Israeli strikes have destroyed two Iranian universities.

In a statement carried by the Fars news agency, which is closely linked to the Guard, it warned that US universities in the region could be targeted unless Washington issues an official condemnation of the bombings by noon on Monday, March 30.

"We advise all employees, professors, and students of American universities in the region and residents of their surrounding areas" stay a kilometer away from campuses.

Several US institutions operate branches in the Gulf, including Texas A&M University in Qatar and New York University in the UAE.

Weeks of US and Israeli strikes have severely damaged Iran's military, but the Islamic Republic is still managing to strike Israel and Gulf countries allied with the US.

Will the Iran war really be over within weeks?

Yemen's Houthi rebels said Saturday they launched two attacks against Israel, raising concerns the Iran war could spiral.

Those fears were compounded by a Washington Post report that the Pentagon was preparing plans for US ground operations in Iran.

Israel's military earlier said it would finish attacking essential weapons production sites within "a few days." The US said it has struck more than 11,000 Iranian targets in the war.

And yet Iran still fired missiles toward Israel, while air defenses early Sunday intercepted missiles and drones across Gulf countries.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps even threatened to attack US universities in the region.

For a war that has been declared over or on the verge of being settled through diplomacy, it still seems very active.

We will bring you the latest developments in this blog, and if you want to catch up on what happened on Saturday, you can click here.