An 18-year-old medical student from Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar, remains confined to her Tehran hostel room as the escalating war between Iran, Israel, and the United States grinds her dreams to a standstill, stranding her far from home amid relentless bombardments.
Sobiya Khan, who left India last December brimming with hopes for an MBBS degree at a Tehran-based university, now huddles in fear as airstrikes pound. The conflict, ignited by late-2025 escalations over nuclear sites and proxy clashes, has shuttered universities, imposed ironclad curfews, and severed travel links, trapping over 1,200 Indian students like her.
Speaking to NDTV, her elder brother Altaf says, "We haven't been able to get in touch with her. She managed to call us for a minute or two yesterday morning around 8 am. She was crying; she told us that they can hear blasts. Our parents can't stop worrying; my mother is crying. We haven't slept in days. We are hoping that the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian government evacuate them soon."
Faizan Nabi, the Iran student coordinator for the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, said that while he came back three days ago, a third-year MBBS student, many students stayed back due to their examinations. Among the 1200 stuck there are students from J&K, Punjab, and Kerala, among other states.
Afnan, along with other students, is living in the basement of their hostel building. We spoke Saturday, but the call disconnected amid the chaos, and since then we haven't been able to connect with him," said the 23-year-old's brother Farhan Paray.
Like Sobiya's and Afnan's, desperate families now stayed clutched to their phones like lifelines amid the Iran-Israel-US inferno. They await that one call to hear the voices of their loved ones even as they see scary visuals of attacks flashing.
Echoing Altaf's torment, Haaid Bin Suhail huddles with kin, heart seized over sister Tehleel Muzammil at Urmia University of Medical Sciences. Worse by the hour; no word since Saturday, no contact. "Is she safe amid the chaos?" he said, adding that all their hopes are now pinned on the Indian government amid the escalating war's grip.
Another 20-year-old's family also lamented the same agony. "She called around 5 am, but we couldn't talk much. She told me that she is in her hostel dorm. She told me that all internal apps have been closed. There are 15-20 Indian students stuck there. She had her tickets booked with some other students, but then they needed exit visas, so they got stuck there."
"Now they have run out of food supplies as well. They had items in store till Monday, but now they can't step out to arrange anything. We aren't even sure if the hostel warden is there or anyone to take care of them. Now, we can only hope for a miracle and that she, along with other children, safely reaches home," said Aafroza. Her eldest daughter is pursuing her MBBS from Arak University of Medical Sciences in Iran.
With airspaces closed and flights being suspended, apart from these students, Indians are also stranded in Dubai and the rest of the Middle East.
