Indian students in Tehran ‘scared' amid Israel-Iran tensions; urge ‘evacuation'
The Indian students studying in Iran have appealed to the government for evacuation following Israeli airstrikes that targeted key military and nuclear sites in Iran, including areas near the capital.
"Right now the situation is calm and we are safe, but we are feeling scared. The attack started at around 3:30 am and we felt the land shake. It was a concerning experience," Tabiya Zahra, a second-year MBBS student from Kashmir at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), told PTI.
Zahra said that while the university officials visited the students and advised them to remain calm, they did not offer clarity on which areas might be safer.
She urged the Indian government to arrange evacuation, citing uncertainty about the security situation and limited communication access due to internet disruptions in some areas.
Another student, Alisha Rizvi from Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh, said "the embassy asked us to email our local addresses and contact details for emergency purposes".
"They are trying to collect data in case evacuation is needed," she added.
Both students are in their second year of a 5.5-year MBBS program, having gone to Tehran in 2023. They confirmed that airspace over Tehran has been closed and flights from Imam Khomeini International Airport were suspended following the strikes.
The escalation began late Thursday when Israel launched airstrikes targeting several locations in Iran, including its main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz, radar stations and surface-to-air missile sites.
Black smoke was seen rising from some of the affected areas and explosions were reported in Tehran and other parts of western Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later confirmed that the strikes were aimed at Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure.
In response, Iran launched a retaliatory attack, sending a swarm of drones toward Israel.
The Iranian leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned of a "severe punishment" following the Israeli offensive.
The situation has significantly raised tensions in the region and prompted international concern over the possibility of further escalation.
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association has written to External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, requesting urgent intervention to assist the Indian students, particularly those from Jammu and Kashmir, studying in Iran.
In the letter, the Association highlighted the evolving security situation and noted that many Indian students are enrolled in universities located near strategic sites.
It said that the closure of airspace and increased military activity have raised concerns among the students and their families.
Jammu and Kashmir Students Association national convenor Nasir Khuehami said that several students have reported hearing air raid sirens and feeling tremors.
"We are receiving calls from the students and their families, requesting assistance. We urge the government to stay prepared and take necessary steps if evacuation becomes unavoidable," he added.
The Association also requested improved communication from the Indian Embassy in Tehran and the preparation of a contingency plan, depending on how the situation develops.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
11 minutes ago
- The Hindu
People will not tolerate if you belittle opposition, Kharge tells PM Modi
Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday (June 23, 2025) slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "trivialising" the opposition and criticised his absence from the all-party meetings convened after the Pahalgam terror attack. Mr. Kharge said the Prime Minister's absence reflects his scant respect for the opposition. Addressing a public gathering here, Mr. Kharge remarked that the country was going through a difficult phase. "Recently, Pakistani terrorists killed 26 people in Pahalgam. In response, the Indian armed forces carried out strikes on terror facilities inside Pakistan and eliminated the terrorists," he said. He alleged that while the entire nation and the armed forces worked in unison to defend the country, some individuals tried to take personal credit. "Had they served in the Army as a captain, colonel, or lieutenant colonel, we would have appreciated them for doing a great job and fighting for the country. But that is not the case," Mr. Kharge said, without directly naming anyone. Mr. Kharge was in Raichur along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress ministers, and MLAs, where he laid the foundation stone for several projects and presided over the naming ceremony of Raichur University. The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said Congress was the first to demand an all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror strike. "When the meetings were convened twice, the prime minister failed to attend on both occasions. I want to ask him why he did not attend". He noted that leaders from Kanyakumari to Kashmir had left behind important engagements to attend the meeting, yet the PM chose not to attend despite being in the country. "Instead, he was busy campaigning for the Bihar elections. What does that mean? While the country and soldiers were fighting on one side, the prime minister chose to campaign on the other, after inviting us to an all-party meeting. This is inappropriate," Kharge said. He warned that such an attitude does not bode well. "If you try to belittle the opposition, the leaders, people, and especially the youth of this country will not tolerate it," Kharge cautioned. Mr. Kharge also took a dig at the PM for his failure to stop the USA from imposing retaliatory taxes. "Modi was shouting the slogan 'Phir Ek Baar Trump Sarkar' (during the US elections). This great man said this in America, but Trump imposed hefty taxes on Indian goods. The PM did not speak a word on it," Mr. Kharge said. The Congress chief reminded the prime minister that Iran had always supported India as the country imports 50% of its fuel requirement from there. "Now there is an armed conflict going on between Iran and Israel. We should have made attempts to stop it," the veteran Congress leader said. Mr. Kharge said Modi's only loud slogan is that he is going to be the "Vishwa Guru". "Whether you are Vishwa Guru or Guru at Home, what people want is petrol, diesel, food, clothes and roof over head. We wanted him to strive for these things...," the Congress chief said. Mr. Kharge also alleged the saffronisation of education. "Today the RSS syllabus is being taught in the universities, Morarji Desai residential schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas," he alleged. The Congress leader also claimed that everywhere, the RSS people are getting postings for their children while others are struggling for survival. He also stated that the Congress party's guarantees are being implemented effectively across the country. "Some jealous leaders and political parties are trying to undermine our guarantees. But they will not succeed in their efforts," he said. Mr. Kharge added that criticising and defaming welfare initiatives that have directly benefited women and other citizens will not impress the people. He claimed that the way the Congress government is striving for social justice, the BJP cannot do it anywhere in the country.
Hans India
11 minutes ago
- Hans India
More than 50 fighter jets attacked military targets in Tehran: Israel
Tel Aviv: The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Monday announced that its Air Force fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence from the IDF Intelligence Directorate, struck key command centres and assets belonging to Iran's internal security forces and the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Tehran. "More than 50 fighter jets attacked military targets in Tehran in the latest wave of attacks, and as part of the IDF's extensive operations to damage the Iranian regime's military capabilities, Air Force fighter jets, under the direction of the Intelligence Directorate, attacked Iranian regime military headquarters, missile and radar production sites, and missile storage infrastructure in the Tehran area of Iran," the IDF stated. The IDF said that it has attacked a number of military headquarters of the Iranian regime, including the "Tharallah" headquarters, the general headquarters under the Revolutionary Guards, which is designed to protect Tehran from security threats, including internal threats. In addition, the "Sayed Al-Shahada" Brigade, which is also subordinate to the Revolutionary Guards, and is responsible for defending the homeland, was also attacked. According to the IDF, it has intensified its attacks on the Iranian regime's military capabilities and will continue to act to maintain the security of the State of Israel. As part of the strike, one of the IRGC's central armed bases of power, the Basij headquarters, was targetted. Alongside its other functions, the headquarters is known for enforcing the Islamic law and reporting civilians who violate these laws to the regime authorities. The operation also hit the Alborz Corps, which is responsible for the security of several cities in the Tehran district from various threats and maintaining the regime's stability. The Israeli forces also targetted the Intelligence and General Security Police under the Internal Security Forces, which also form part of the Iranian regime's military forces. Striking these targets harms the Iranian regime's military capabilities and its ability to impose control, as these command centres have a significant military effect. The IDF further stated that it struck six regime airports across western, central, and eastern Iran, destroying runways, underground hangars, refueling aircraft, F-14, F-5, and AH-1 aircraft. "The destroyed aircraft were meant to stop IAF jets. The IAF impaired takeoff capabilities from these airports, as well as the Iranian military's ability to operate its air force from them," the IDF stated. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that Israel would press ahead with its operations. "Israel will continue to operate at full tilt in both Iran and Gaza," he said, vowing not to be "dragged into a war of attrition." "We will not stop this historic operation before we achieve our goals," Netanyahu stated. Several reports also cited that, a day after US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, the Iranian parliament has voted in support of closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil transit chokepoints. Any final decision on retaliation, however, rests with the country's Supreme National Security Council.
Hans India
11 minutes ago
- Hans India
India's exports of pharmaceuticals, textiles, jewellery to US likely to go up after bilateral trade pact
New Delhi: Although the US is India's largest export partner, there is scope to increase exports further in areas such as smartphones, certain pharma products and labour-intensive exports such as textiles and gems and jewellery under the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between the two countries that is expected to be signed by the fall (September-October) of this year, according to a Crisil report released on Monday. To begin with, India should be prepared to see more imports from the US under the BTA. This is because India's tariffs are much higher than those of the US, and bringing these down would be advantageous to exporters in the US, the report points out. It highlights that the imminent bilateral trade agreement will likely lead to a reduction in India's goods trade surplus with the US. India would be able to import more energy products, defence equipment and certain agricultural products, among others, from the US after the agreement is signed. The report further states that India accounts for only a small part of the USA's imports. India's exports, however, are unlikely to see a major spike because the focus of the Donald Trump administration is to reduce its trade deficit with India, and most of India's top exports to the US are already duty-free (i.e. before the application of baseline 10 per cent, which is applicable since April 10). Besides, the export potential would also depend eventually on the amount of tariff India faces when compared with other competing nations, it added. According to the report, there is some potential to improve. The US is not only the world's largest economy, but also the world's largest importer. In 2024, its goods imports stood at $3.36 trillion (in contrast, China and Germany, the second- and third-largest importing nations, recorded $2.59 trillion and $1.43 trillion worth of goods imports, respectively), according to ITC Trade Map. But India's share in the US's global imports was just 2.7 per cent. Thus, there is some scope for India to increase its exports to the US. The report said that "to understand the areas where India can potentially increase exports to the US, we assess the following two matrices". "Among the top 25 items India exports to the US, products such as diamonds, marine products and bed linen already have a high penetration there. The penetration remains low for others, such as smartphones and certain pharma products. Also, only two of India's top 25 export items faced the most favoured nation (MFN) tariff in 2024; others were duty-free. Clearly, this means Indian goods will have to become more competitive to gain further market share. Though a vast majority of India's exports to the US are duty-free, several products attract MFN tariffs. For instance, out of the US's goods imports of $91.2 billion from India in 2024, $32.9 billion worth of goods (36 per cent) attracted tariffs. The US announced reciprocal tariffs on India and a host of other nations on April 2, 2025, and then paused the increase for 90 days from April 10 to negotiate trade deals with these countries (for India, the reciprocal tariff was 26 per cent, lower than the tariff on many other Asian peers). During the pause period, a 10 per cent base tariff remains applicable (over and above the existing tariffs) on all countries, including India.
