While day-to-day life continues and flights are still operating, uncertainty about how the situation may unfold has left many students and their families concerned.
Amid soaring geopolitical tensions between Washington and Tehran, India has advised all its nationals, including students, in Iran to leave by any available transport as soon as possible. But for many students–torn between seeking safety and facing academic setbacks–departure is not an easy option. Missing crucial examinations scheduled in early March could delay their graduation and even jeopardise professional recognition of their degrees.
According to estimates, there are around 1,000 to 1,500 Indian students– a large proportion of them medical students from Jammu and Kashmir — enrolled at Iranian universities. Some of them have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for intervention after the advisory, which clashed with their university examination schedule.
The Plea
“We want to come back home. Our families are worried,” Bilal Bhat, an Indian medical student in Iran, said while talking to news agency ANI.
“But our exams are scheduled in March, and there is no clarity on postponement. If we miss exams, it will affect our academic year…If our exam gets postponed, we will leave as soon as possible,” he said.
According to Bhat, while day-to-day life continues and flights are still operating, uncertainty about how the situation may unfold has left many students and their families concerned.
Another student, Musafid, shared similar apprehensions, stating that they are constantly monitoring the situation. “Flights are operational, but we don’t know what may happen next. Our only concern is safety and our studies,” he said, highlighting the dilemma faced by many pursuing professional degrees abroad.
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA) has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention to ensure the safety and academic future of Indian students currently in Iran.
Speaking to ANI, Mohammad Momin Khan, President of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of AIMSA, highlighted the concerns following a recent travel advisory from the Indian High Commission in Tehran, which has asked citizens to return.
“The Indian High Commission in Tehran issued an advisory, in which they have asked their citizens to return. However, we have received information from students that their exams are scheduled for March 5. Some students have already arrived in India, so it is not possible for them to return. The current situation is very tense, and their parents are also very worried,” Khan said.
Iran’s Exam Schedule
According to media reports, the basic sciences (Olum-e-Paye) examination and pre-internship test–both mandatory government assessments in Iran’s medical education system–are scheduled for March 5. The results of these exams determine whether a student can progress from pre-clinical study to clinical training and hospital postings. These exams are held only twice a year, and missing them could mean losing up to six months of academic progress, significantly delaying their five-and-a-half-year medical degree.
Situation In Iran
Iran’s foreign minister on Tuesday declared that a deal to avoid a military clash with the United States was within reach, two days before talks between the foes were due to resume in Geneva. Abbas Araghchi’s appeal came as Iran issued a muted warning to student protesters maintaining pressure on the government, against the backdrop of mounting US threats of action to halt Tehran’s nuclear programme.
“We have a historic opportunity to strike an unprecedented agreement that addresses mutual concerns and achieves mutual interests,” Araghchi said in a social media post.
The minister added that a deal was “within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority.”
Tehran and Washington are due to hold a third round of negotiations on Thursday in Geneva, the latest since talks resumed earlier this month. The talks will be held following a heavy US military deployment in the region in recent weeks and threats by President Donald Trump of a strike on Iran if no deal is reached.
