Caught in Iran crossfire, Kashmiri students wait for a passage home

In a few weeks, Syed Aiman Zahra, 24, was supposed to be flying home to Kashmir after completing her medical studies in Iran.

A final-year undergraduate medical student at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran’s southwestern city of Shiraz, Zahra has spent nearly six years studying in Iran. Her final examination was scheduled for June 19 and her father was expected to join her five days later.

Instead, on Tuesday afternoon, Zahra was among the 200 Indian students relocated to the city of Yazd, more than 450 km north of Shiraz. Four days earlier, Israel had launched a surprise attack on Iran’s top military leadership, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites and ballistic missile programme.

Around 1,500 Indian students, most of them from Jammu and Kashmir, are studying medicine, engineering and religious studies among other subjects in Iran.

“We are in a hotel right now,” Zahra told Scroll in an interview over text messages. Following Israel’s attacks on Friday, the internet speed in Iran has gone abysmally slow. “My family is under a lot of stress because of all this. But I am trying to convince them that everything is alright.”

Indian students say there is little clarity on whether they will be moved out of Iran.

Indian Embassy authorities in Iran have relocated most of the students from the capital city of Tehran and other cities targeted by Israeli bombardment that began on June 13.

But so far, the Indian government has not ordered a complete evacuation of its citizens from the country. Calling it a “fluid situation”, the Ministry of External Affairs said on June 17 that the Indian Embassy remains “continuously in touch with the community” and that further advisories may be issued.

‘It was terrifying’

Zahra, who is in the final month of her degree, said till a few days ago everything was normal. “I was regularly going to the hospital for rounds and night shifts. Everything was going fine but suddenly all of this happened.”

According to Zahra, Iran’s Ministry of Education on June 15 cancelled all examinations after the Israeli attack. Though upset about her delayed examination, Zahra felt safe as most of the Israeli strikes were aimed at Tehran. “Over the past two-three days, there were a few incidents in some parts of Shiraz, but nothing major,” Zahra wrote.

But that changed dramatically late on Monday. “Around 8 pm, our warden told us to come downstairs. Our study room is in the basement, so we went there, and she stayed with us. The strike was going on, there were interceptions, and everyone was really worried. We turned off the lights and sat there quietly, waiting for things to settle down,” Zahra said.

By 10 pm, just as they had moved back to their rooms, another round of airstrikes began. “It lasted until around 11 pm. So again, we rushed to the basement. Lights off, everyone tense, just waiting for it to be over,” she wrote.

Once the second strike ended, Zahra went back upstairs and began packing. Two days earlier, Zahra said Indian Embassy officials in Tehran had told nearly 200 Indian students at the campus that they would be relocated. “I went to sleep around 2.15 am but around 2.40 am my juniors came to my room saying they were hearing noises outside,” she said. “I stepped into the hallway and suddenly, another round of strikes began.”

This round of strikes, Zahra said, felt nearer. “We immediately sat on the floor and turned off the lights. It was terrifying,” she said. “Everything finally calmed down around 4.15 am. By 5 am, we left the hostel.”

She said she is positive about her safety and getting home soon. The facilities in Yazd are good and Indian Embassy officials are helpful, she said. “We will come back, Inshallah. We are safe, Alhamdulillah [All thanks to Almighty].”

Uncertainty about ceasefire

Back home in Kashmir, the families of the students in Iran have been urging the Indian government to rescue them. On Sunday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he had spoken to External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar. In a post on X, Abdullah said Jaishankar had assured him that the ministry was in close contact with their counterparts in Iran and that they would take “all necessary steps to safeguard all Indian students in Iran”.

On June 14, Iran retaliated by targeting several cities in Israel, including capital Tel Aviv, by launching nearly 400 missiles and hundreds of drones. At least 250 have been killed in the four-five days of hostilities, with Iran suffering at least 90% of the casualties.

Two Kashmiri students suffered minor injuries after an Israeli strike near Tehran University of Medical Sciences on June 15 shattered a hostel building. But so far, all Indians in Iran are safe.

It is unclear when the military attacks between the two long-hostile countries in West Asia will end.

On June 16, United States President Donald Trump said Tehran should be evacuated. “IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” Trump wrote on social media platform X. “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”

The next day, the Ministry of External Affairs on June 17 said that “Indian students in Tehran have been moved out of the city for reasons of safety, through arrangements made by the Embassy”. It also said that the Indian Embassy in Iran has advised Indian residents who have their own transport “to move out of the city in view of the developing situation”.

The embassy, however, did not say which areas or cities it had suggested Indian citizens go to. Without specifying any number, the ministry also said that “some Indians have been facilitated to leave Iran through the border with Armenia”.

Some Indian students in Urmia, in northwestern Iran, were shifted to the neighbouring country of Armenia on Monday evening.

“We have been asked to wait and there’s a word going around that they may take us to India tomorrow [Wednesday],” said Mushabir Reyan, a fourth-year Kashmiri MBBS student at Urmia university. Reyan is among the 110 Indian students who reached the Armenian capital Yerevan on Tuesday morning. “Urmia was not directly targeted by Israeli strikes,” he said. “There were some reports of attacks in Jolfa city which is some 220 km from Urmia.”

Nasir Kheuhami, National Convener of Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, said on Wednesday that 110 Indian students in Armenia would be flying to Doha on Wednesday morning and then to New Delhi. “We have been informed by the office of the External Affairs Minister that all tickets have been arranged free of cost by the Government of India,” Kheuhami said.

‘Evacuate us too’

So far, Israeli strikes have targeted only parts of Iran, primarily Tehran, but the panic among Indian students has spread across the length and breadth of the country.

Sadia Wani, 20, from North Kashmir’s Kupwara district, is a first-year MBBS student at Golestan University of Iran’s Gorgan city, more than 400 km northeast of Tehran. Wani is among the 60 Indian students at the university. Fifty of these Indian students are from Kashmir.

“We are safe for now but given the war, no place is safe,” said Wani, adding that the university has cancelled examinations. “[Indian] students have been evacuated from the universities of Tehran and Shiraz as the situation there is really bad.”

Though they are relatively safe with no concerns about food and medical supplies, Wani said they do not want to be left behind in case the Indian government wants to evacuate citizens from Iran. “If there’s an evacuation, then we should also be evacuated,” said Wani. “Our safety is paramount.”

Amid the uncertainty, Wani said she does not anticipate the situation returning to normal soon. “The Indian Embassy is in touch with us and they have informed us that the next 24 hours are crucial as there is a possibility of a ceasefire,” said Wani. “In case there is a ceasefire, then it would be great. If not, then we should be taken home.”

‘Media needs to be careful’

Some say the panic is being aggravated by false media reporting and sensationalism.

Waseem Reza, a Kashmiri religious scholar in Qom, one of Iran’s holiest cities known for its revered shrines and a centre of learning for Shiite Muslim clerics, said the situation is far from what is being portrayed in the media.

“Definitely, it’s a war-like situation but it has remained confined only to certain parts of Tehran. Rest of the things are normal,” Reza told Scroll on Tuesday over the phone from Qom. “People are going to offices, shopping malls and cinemas are open, traffic is running smoothly.”

The Iranian government has advised locals to avoid venturing closer to military and security infrastructure sites, said Reza.

Reza is among 100-150 Kashmiri students pursuing religious education in Qom. While students of medicine or engineering live in hostels or shared apartments with their classmates, those pursuing religious education in Iran’s seminaries live with their families, including children.

On Tuesday, Reza said, he also appeared for his university examination. “It’s not that the entire country has come to a halt as the media back home is projecting,” he said.

📰 Crime Today News is proudly sponsored by DRYFRUIT & CO – A Brand by eFabby Global LLC

Design & Developed by Yes Mom Hosting