Iran says 7 schools closed in UAE, Kuwait during war

Seven Iranian schools in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait were closed during the recent war with the United States and Israel, an Iranian spokesman said on Wednesday.

Ali Farhadi, spokesman for Iran's Education Ministry, said some students are continuing their studies online under the supervision of Iranian schools in Oman, while others are being monitored directly by schools inside Iran.

"The goal is to ensure that there is no disruption in the education of Iranian students under any circumstances," he said in remarks carried by the official IRNA news agency.

Farhadi also criticized what he described as an "illegal" move by the UAE government to expel around 2,500 Iranian students, adding that, in coordination with Oman, those students will continue their education there until the end of the academic year.

He said Iranian schools in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are currently operating remotely, with the academic year expected to conclude virtually.

The US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting Tehran to respond with strikes on what it described as US interests across the region, many of them in Gulf countries.

A ceasefire was announced on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, followed by talks hosted in Islamabad on April 11-12, but the negotiations ended without an agreement.

US President Donald Trump later said the truce had been extended at Pakistan's request pending a proposal from Tehran.

He signaled Monday that he was unlikely to accept Iran's latest proposal to end the war after Tehran proposed a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while leaving questions about its nuclear program for later negotiations.