‘Missiles near hostels’: Panic grips Kashmiri students in Iran amid Israel-Iran escalation

June 14, 2025 by News Desk

As tensions soar in West Asia following Israel’s provocative strikes deep into Iranian territory, panic has spread among Kashmiri families with children studying in Iran. Many are losing sleep as reports of explosions near student hostels emerge from cities like Tehran and Shiraz.

Fiza Ali, an MBBS student from Srinagar currently studying in Tehran, told The Kashmiriyat, over the phone that a missile exploded just a few hundred meters from her hostel. “It was terrifying. The blast shook the entire building. Windows rattled, people screamed. We’ve never experienced anything like this,” she said, her voice trembling over a WhatsApp call. “My parents are panicking, and honestly, so am I. We don’t know what might happen next.”

The growing hostility between Iran and Israel, especially after Iran launched hundreds of missiles in retaliation for the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, has made Kashmiri families fearful and uncertain.

Syed Iqbal, whose 22-year-old son is pursuing pharmacy in Esfahan, said the situation feels like a nightmare. “I can’t sleep. Every time my phone rings, I fear it’s bad news. My son keeps telling me things are okay, but I know he’s just trying to protect me. The government must intervene and bring our children back before it’s too late,” the Budgam resident said.

In the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, another Kashmiri student, Aamir Ali from Srinagar, described scenes of panic. “Last night, the sirens went off. Some students ran towards underground shelters while others just froze. Shops are shut, there’s army presence near the university. This doesn’t feel like a place to study anymore—it feels like a war zone,” he told The Kashmiriyat.

Students say that while anxiety is mounting, there has been little to no clarity from Indian authorities.

“The Indian embassy has not issued any direction other than to keep calm as of now,” said a Kashmiri engineering student based in Tehran who asked not to be named. “But how can we stay calm when missiles are flying overhead?”

With diplomacy hanging by a thread and the threat of further escalation looming, families in Kashmir are now praying not just for peace, but for the safe return of their children from a region inching toward all-out war.