As tensions continue to engulf West Asia and the war in Iran deepens following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, dozens of Indian students have begun returning home after weeks of uncertainty and fear. Nearly 70 Indian students, most of them from Jammu & Kashmir, landed at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday (March 15, 2026).
This marked one of the first batches to escape the conflict-hit country. Many had been studying medicine in Iranian universities when hostilities escalated. Relief and exhaustion were evident on the faces of students and their families outside Terminal 3’s international arrivals gate, after what many described as a harrowing month.
Jammu Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) thanked External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri Ji for their timely intervention and support in facilitating transit permissions, visa clearances, and the relocation of stranded students to safer locations, which made this evacuation possible.
Homecoming for Indian students from Iran
Among the 70 students who landed in Delhi on Sunday was 24-year-old Tahir from Kupwara, who had travelled to Iran in 2022 to pursue an MBBS degree. Unlike his usual visits home, this time he booked a one-way ticket to Delhi, unsure when or whether he would be able to return, the Times of India reported.
At the start of the conflict, around 1,200 Kashmiri students, most enrolled in medical programmes, were studying in Iran, primarily in cities such as Tehran and Qom. As the war escalated and instability spread across the country, universities suspended classes and many foreign students began seeking ways to leave.
The Indian government facilitated travel documentation and clearances, though many students said they had to bear the cost of their flights themselves.
‘The room was shaking’: Students recall bombings near hostels
Students described living through moments of fear as the conflict intensified. Naina, a 22-year-old final-year medical student from Anantnag, said the past month had been marked by anxiety and uncertainty. “I could feel the tremors after bombs hit police stations near my hostel. The entire room was shaking,” she was quoted as saying by TOI.
Another student, 23-year-old Sohail Amin said academic life came to a sudden halt. “We were in the middle of our clinical trials, but the moment the conflict began, everything stopped. Schools and hospitals are often the first places to shut down because they become potential targets.”
Iran declares mourning, universities shut
The crisis intensified after Iran declared a 40-day period of national mourning following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, further disrupting normal life in the country.
Universities have temporarily suspended classes, leaving foreign students uncertain about their academic futures. While the students have been told they may need to return to Iran for examinations once academic activities resume, many say there is little clarity about how their degrees will be affected.
Some students who could not afford flights home have been relocated to Qom, which is currently considered safer than the capital Tehran.
A long, exhausting journey home
For those who managed to leave, the journey was far from simple. The group of students travelled through multiple countries before reaching India. Their evacuation route included travelling from Iran to Armenia, Armenia to Dubai, and then to New Delhi.
One final-year student said the journey was physically draining. “We are incredibly exhausted. We haven’t had a proper meal in four days.” The cost of emergency travel has also surged. Tahir said his usual Rs 25,000 round-trip ticket cost nearly Rs 55,000 for a one-way flight this time.
With internet services frequently disrupted in Iran, many students struggled to stay in touch with their families back home.
Home Still hundreds of kilometres away Even after landing in Delhi, the students’ journey home is not over. Most of them still need to travel nearly 800 kilometres to reach Jammu & Kashmir. Some are taking overnight buses, while others have arranged domestic flights. But for now, the students say one thing matters above everything else.