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.
