SRINAGAR: Yasir Gul, an MBBS student from Anantnag was sleeping when the first explosion shattered the quiet of the silent night. The MBBS student had been studying late in his room at the Hujat Dost Ali Hostel in Tehran, capital city of Iran.
It was probably around 3.25 AM on June 15 when he woke up with a jolt at the sound of the blast. “Reports of missile attacks by Israel were soon confirmed and I found myself on a video call with my mother, reassuring her that everything was normal."
"However, amidst our conversation, I heard a sound that I initially thought was coming from a distance. When I stepped outside, I realised it was only three buildings away," said Yasir.
"The bomb fell some distance from our hostel, but the sound was terrifying," Yasir recalled, his voice still shaking from the memory. "It wasn't just the noise—it felt like everything was going to cave in."
An Israeli missile had reportedly struck dangerously close to the Tehran hostel, that housed thirteen Kashmiri medical students, just 500 metres away. What followed was a harrowing night of war for these young students who had left home to pursue their dreams, not to live through a war.
“Five other students including some Iranians were with me in the dormitory,” Yasir said.
"After that, chaos broke out," Yasir continued. "I could hear cries all around me – panic stricken. Some started crying and calling their families.”
He said, “when we heard the blast, we thought it was distant…..but it was a few hundred metres away.”
Blood, Destruction and Bodies
“Several injured Iranians were brought to our apartment seeking water. They were bleeding. After serving water to them, we quickly took them to a nearby hospital in Tajrish, located in the northern part of Tehran,” he said. It was later he learnt that two Kashmiri students had also been injured.
The destruction we witnessed within a mere 500 meters was devastating. At Qudus Square in Tajrish, all I could see was debris scattered everywhere," he said, unable to recount the horror of the sight.
"We were mentally drained after witnessing the dead bodies at the hospital,” Yasir revealed.
“One particularly haunting image was of a body ……. it was grotesque,” is all he could say.
“The scenes of destruction and the injured were overwhelming. We didn’t even have dinner that night after we returned," he added.
Nobody slept that night. Students huddled together in common areas, too afraid to return to their rooms, jumping at every distant sound. Some kept their bags packed, ready to flee at a moment's notice. Others remained glued to their phones, desperately trying to maintain contact with worried families back in Kashmir.
“We just want to go home," a friend kept saying repeatedly.
The hostel, home to 13 students from Kashmir, erupted into panic. The corridors were filled with the sounds of terror—sobbing, frantic phone calls, and the desperate voices of young people trying to reach their families thousands of miles away – a struggle as internet connectivity became weak and erratic.
“We didn’t sleep that night or the next,” says Yasir, now among the many Indian students who were relocated from Tehran to a safer city by the Indian embassy official, several hours after the explosions.
"The ground trembled, and loud blasts echoed nearby…….. We're still terrified," another student, requesting anonymity as he spoke from his temporary refuge. The fear in his voice was palpable even through the phone connection that kept disrupting every few seconds.
"We are not soldiers or diplomats. We are sons, daughters, and young scholars who left home to study—not to live through a war," one student explained.
"From mental trauma to the fear of losing contact, from hearing explosions to watching missiles being launched near their hostels and universities, the reality today is shaped by a war we never signed up for."
Two Kashmiri students had sustained minor injuries during the night's chaos. Neither of them could be reached and the other students were too shocked to offer details about them.
All they can say is that they were given first aid and are now stable.
A female student wrote on her social media handle that “the strike had hit the boys’ dormitory nearby, leaving some students injured.”
“I do not want the same fate for us. Before we are affected by the strikes, please take us back home. We cannot stay here any longer,” she wrote. Calling for urgency, she added that the internet speed is decreasing, and if the escalation continues, there may be no electricity “we may be unable to communicate.”
“Our parents are very concerned and want us to come home. I hope the Indian media will also help amplify our voices,” she made an impassioned plea.
Relocation….. ‘But We Want Evacuation’
Yasir revealed that while at the hospital, they were also trying to be constantly in touch with the Indian embassy. “We wrote emails and finally reached out on a call……They advised us to stick together and stay calm.”
"Later, an official from the university – a counselor officer – kept checking on our safety,” he told.
Sleep deprived, Yasir and his friends were trying to maintain constant communication with the students on campus. We were also trying to maintain contact with both the embassy officials and the parents back home, while navigating the spotting internet, he says.
By the evening, they were shifted to hotels and the embassy arranged for the meals.
As dawn broke over Tehran, the explosions came to a rest. Relief came in the form of buses arranged by the Indian Embassy sometime in the morning of June 16. The students were being relocated to Qom, about 150 kilometres from the immediate danger zone of the capital.
There were about 500 students from across Tehran, 70% of them Kashmiris. Twelve buses had come from Shaheed Behesti University.
Yasir recalls, “Though Qom is not very far. It typically takes about two and a half hours but our journey was never ending. There was much traffic on the road and we reached Qom at around 6.30 PM despite leaving as early as 10 in the morning.”
“At one point,” he says, “the route of the buses was diverted. “We were told, it was due to suspicious movement – we don’t know exactly what but someone said that fresh attacks had targeted the South Tehran oil refinery which was on our way….. this heightened our fears.”
“Those were anxious moments.” he said, explaining that they felt they were still staring into an uncertain void, even as there was some relief that they were being escorted by the embassy to a safer place.
Yet this journey brought fresh anxieties.
While he was talking, he said they were stuck in a traffic jam. “Every time the journey was disrupted, there were gasping breaths inside the bus. The internet was erratic and causing anxiety," he told the Kashmir Times as they made their way out of Tehran. The weak internet connection meant families back home remained partly in the dark about their children's safety.
“Even for the WhatsApp messages to reach home, it was taking much longer – sometimes an hour,” a student said.
As tensions worsened, students reported slow internet. Some messages were taking 30–40 minutes to deliver, they noted. “If communication is cut, we’ll be completely isolated,” said Afshana, a female student from Tehran.
She added: “We are mentally exhausted. Please don’t wait for a tragedy to happen. Act now.”
Following the incident, panic has spread among the Kashmiri students, leading to chaos and fear. Another student added, “Every night, we sleep wondering if we’ll wake up to another siren or a missile.”
“The situation is dire, and all we want right now is evacuation,” Yasir added.
The students had been preparing for this possibility even before the escalation reached its peak. There were discussions among students as they followed the developments unfold. "Tehran is more dangerous," they had said, and their fears proved justified.
"We just want to go home," Yasir's words echoed the sentiment of every Kashmiri student who had survived that terrifying night when war came too close for comfort.
Iran-Israel Escalating Conflict
Tensions between Israel and Iran have simmered for years, but the current escalation began in April 2024 when a deadly Israeli strike killed high-ranking Iranian officials in Damascus. In retaliation, Iran launched a barrage of drones and missiles towards Israel—marking one of the largest direct confrontations between the two nations in recent history. Since then, the region has witnessed tit-for-tat strikes, air raids, and rising threats of full-scale war.
In early June 2025, long-standing tensions between Iran and Israel exploded into open military conflict. The current escalation began on June 13 after an Israeli airstrike reportedly targeted an Iranian military site involved in drone operations. Iran responded with missile launches, leading to fears of a regional war.
Away from Home, Students Caught in a War
As the conflict spread across Iranian territory, civilian life was thrown into chaos. Among the most vulnerable were international students including Jammu and Kashmir students in Iran, many of them from the conflict-prone region of Kashmir.
Rahool Banka, Chief Media Coordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA), reported that there are 1,300 students enrolled in various colleges and universities in Iran, representing various districts from across Kashmir. He stated, “We have been in contact with these students through a WhatsApp group and directly. They have expressed that they are traumatised due to the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.”
Kashmiri students, many studying medicine, Islamic studies, and engineering in cities like Tehran, Qom, Arak, and Isfahan, began sending distress messages back home about the escalated tensions that triggered fear. Some took to social media to provide updates.
Many heard military planes overhead. Social media was filled with unverified reports of possible strikes. Parents back home grew worried after receiving frantic phone calls.
While Tehran has been the epicentre of the attacks, students elsewhere in Iran, even in cities that are still considered safe are worried as the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran show no signs of abating.
Every night begins with anxiety and continues with jarring sounds of ammunition, planes and blasts. The next morning begins with processing what is happening and then recovering from the shock, only to head towards another night of anxiety, panic and fear.
“While things appeared calm during the day, there is growing unease at night,” said Khan Abbas, a student in Qom. “We can hear sounds like sirens and aircraft. It makes us feel unsafe.”
Banka added that the military build-up on the roads is also spreading panic and students fear being caught and stuck in a prolonged and full-fledged war.
He added that the JKSA has reached out to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, submitting a formal request for their evacuation. However, Banka added that this request has been denied for unspecified reasons.
Despite this setback, he mentioned that the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian embassy have taken steps to arrange buses for relocating students to safer areas, which he described as a positive response from the administration.
The JKSA has created a WhatsApp group that includes around 400 students currently in Iran and their parents to ensure transparent communication and combat misinformation during this crisis.
“We are providing detailed information about the stranded students to the Ministry of External Affairs,” JKSA said, adding that the primary goal of the association is to ensure their immediate evacuation, which has been challenging due to the current situation.
110 Students Evacuated via Armenia
In a latest development, 90 Kashmiri students among 110 Indian medical students were evacuated from Urmia Medical University in Iran to Armenia on June 17.
Yasir, who spoke from Qom, however, said that 118 students, 95 of them Kashmiris, had been evacuated..
Giving details on X, Nasir Khuehami, national convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students wrote, "They crossed the Iran-Armenia land border overnight and are now safe in Yerevan, from where a chartered flight to New Delhi has been arranged for Wednesday. The students will then be assisted in reaching their respective home states."
In another tweet, he wrote, “The Indian Embassy in Tehran has requested Arak University to assist in the evacuation of Indian students, including those from Kashmir, due to rising tensions. The Embassy has asked the university administration to allow the students to leave the campus and has assured full responsibility for their safe movement.”
Meanwhile, the embassy has communicated plans for immediate evacuation, stating that they will begin the evacuation process within two to three days and advised students to remain calm and not panic.
Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Omar Abdullah, said that he was pursuing the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs.
‘Anything Can Happen in a War’
While the evacuation process is just about beginning, triggering some hopes of safety, students are still caught in anxiety and uncertainty.
Showkat Ali Allaie, a resident of Labarthal Budgam, has been in Iran for two years, currently studying Islamic Studies at Al Mustafa University in Aqr Ayshtan.
“I saw on TV that the strikes occurred close to the hostels where Kashmiri MBBS students reside in tehran. Since then, we have all been traumatised by what we witnessed.”
“I am frightened, especially with my wife and child here. Hearing the explosions gives me goosebumps because, in a war situation……. anything can happen anywhere.”
Although he lives in a relatively safer area of Arak, he mentioned that the sound of explosions still causes distress. “I am trying to remain strong for my family’s sake so they do not feel threatened,” he added.
Showkat expressed gratitude for the university administration’s efforts to ensure student safety, stating, “They have provided us with necessary supplies like food, and the principal has personally called students to check on their well-being.”
He also noted that the Indian Embassy created a WhatsApp group on June 15, including all Indian students, including Kashmiris. “They assured us that there is no need to panic and that they are working to relocate students from the most affected areas,” he said.
Asrar Ahmad, a student from Budgam, Kashmir, is pursuing MBBS at Arak University of Medical Sciences in Iran.
“From the first day of the conflict, we heard about explosions through social media, and we learned that Arak was under attack. My fellow students and I tried to confirm the news, but life in Arak has remained normal, and we have been safe, able to go outside without any issues.”
However, he adds, “Every night after 10 PM, we can see missiles being launched from Arak bases towards Israel until morning. This is threatening because missiles can fall anywhere.”
Asrar acknowledged that while they have access to basic needs, the worsening situation has caused them to reflect on their safety. “We are in contact with the Indian Embassy, which sent a letter to the university on June 16 regarding the relocation of students to safer areas,” he noted.
Parents have been calling repeatedly, expressing their concern for our safety.
“My mother called and cried on the phone, saying she would pray for our safety. Even they are unable to sleep because of what they see on social media, which is distressing,” he added.
These distressing times, he revealed, have brought all the students together. “All the students in Arak are closely connected and are helping each other during this challenging time.”
Mental Distress
The stress of living in a conflict zone thousands of kilometers from home has begun to affect students’ mental health.
“We are breaking down emotionally,” one female student said in a video she posted online. “Internet is slow. We fear losing contact with family. Missiles are being launched from nearby areas every night.”
Students at Shaheed Beheshti University in Tehran said some were suffering from panic attacks.
One girl’s mother, Rehana Begum from Kashmir, said: “She’s not able to control her nerves. She’s crying every time she calls. I don’t want her to be brave—I just want her safe.”
Students also shared that while Iraqi and Pakistani nationals had begun evacuating, Indian students were still stuck, deepening their feeling of abandonment.
Parents Protest, Sleepless and Anxious
Syed Ali Shah, a father of a student from Budgam district in Central Kashmir, said his son, Agha Syed Younis Mehdi, who is currently studying in Qom, Iran.
In his most recent phone call, his son expressed a sense of uncertainty about the future. The father recalled his words: “For now, we are fine, but only God knows what will happen next. Please remember me in your prayers.”
Syed Ali noted that six other students from their locality are also stranded in Iran, and he, along with their parents, is deeply concerned about their return.
“We cannot eat or sleep properly; our minds are constantly occupied with thoughts of our children,” he said.
Despite reassurances from the students that they are safe and being relocated to safer areas, the lingering threat remains a source of anxiety. “Even if the situation is under control, we want to see them home,” he remarked.
“I’m more worried about my son’s wife, who is pregnant,” he added. “This situation is weighing heavily on me…… I hope that at least she can be sent back safely.”
“My parents are deeply worried,” Yasir told the Kashmir Times, speaking from Qom.
“‘Come home; we don’t need your degree, they told me over the phone,” he said.
Peer Abid student from Anantnag Jammu and Kashmir said , “If we die here, our parents will never forgive the silence…….. We don’t want anyone’s sympathy. We want action.”
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