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Time of India
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘I am not afraid': Resilience a source of strength for Iranian students in Delhi
New Delhi: The Iran Culture House in Delhi opened its doors on Monday to Iranian citizens living in the city, offering a space to gather in solidarity amid the escalating conflict between their country and Israel — two nations long at odds. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A condolence register, usually kept at the Iranian Embassy, was placed at Culture House, allowing community members to share their thoughts, express grief and condemn the strikes on their country and the growing toll on civilian lives. The atmosphere was sombre as families with children, students and professionals came together, united in concern for their homeland. Among those present were Iranian students studying in Delhi, many of whom are grappling with the emotional strain of being thousands of kilometres away while their families live through an intensifying war. Several of them spoke to TOI, describing lives suspended between classrooms and phone screens, waiting anxiously for updates from families — calls that often don't come due to internet outages and mobile disruptions back home. "I'm not afraid, if that's what you want to hear," said Mohammad Amin Feizy, a PhD scholar at Jamia Hamdard. "Of course, war brings destruction, loss of life and pain. But we, the Iranian people, stand strong. We are supporting our country with everything we have." Feizy added, "Yes, I worry for my family's safety. On some days, I can't reach them because of the internet blackout. Every second is uncertain. We don't know what might happen next. I want the war to end, but until then, we are standing tall." Feizy also was concerned about fellow students who had returned to Iran for the summer break and were now unable to travel back. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Many Iranian students studying in Indian universities are stuck there. They have exams in July, but flights have been cancelled. We are planning to write to the universities requesting some relaxation for them," he said. For others, the stress of the conflict is harder to mask. "My family lives in Tehran, which has seen constant attacks. For the past three nights, I haven't been able to sleep," said a Delhi University student, requesting anonymity. "How can I stay calm when I don't know if my family will be alive tomorrow? I just want the war to stop." In the condolence register, she wrote simply: "I pray for a world without war." The longstanding hostility between Iran and Israel erupted into open conflict on Friday, when Israel launched a surprise strike on Iran, hitting its nuclear and military sites. Iran retaliated with counterattacks, and since then, both sides have exchanged fire, causing casualties on both ends. By Monday, the fourth day of the conflict, hundreds of people had been killed. Internet shutdowns and communication blackouts have made it increasingly difficult for citizens of the two countries residing abroad to remain in contact with their families. Some students declined to speak out of fear for their safety. TOI also attempted to reach Israeli students living in the city, but they could not be contacted.
India Gazette
10 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
All countries should condemn Israel's attack on Iran, says Cultural Counsellor at Iran Culture House in Delhi
New Delhi [India], June 16 (ANI): Farid Faridasr, the Cultural Counsellor at Iran Culture House in Delhi, said that Iran has expectations from the world that countries should condemn the attack by Israel on Iran. Noting that the country has cleared its position that it doesn't seek nuclear weapons and has had the most visits by the IAEA, the Counsellor also remarked that the safety of people in Iran is their top priority. Speaking to ANI on the rising tensions between Iran and Israel, Farid Faridasr said, 'One thing is very clear and evident for the international community that they (Israel) have invaded our country and they have attacked on our civilians as well as the army members and we have just responded. And it is ideal that international community should put some pressure on the invader country, not us. And we are trying to respond to that attack which happened on our soil.' Speaking about the nuclear issue, Counsellor Faridasr said, 'We always cleared our position that we've never been looking for the nuclear weapons and it is just a stunt by the enemy countries. The most visits by IAEA, we had in our country, Chiefs have visited Iran a number of times and a number of times we have cleared that Iran was never looking for the weapons and we were just using it for our energy in our country'. On the issue of the safety of people, he told ANI, 'The security of our civilians is a top priority. Iran's top priority is that they want to make sure the security for Iranian nations as well as the foreigners living in Iran... Till now, whatever we received, through official channels, the news is there that there's no casualty or harm for any foreign nationals in Iran.' On the evacuation of Indians from Iran, he said, 'The embassies of both countries are in touch and they are trying best to do so and whenever it will be possible of reopening the airspace, they will do it.' In his remarks, Faridasr said, 'The only expectation which we have from all countries in the world is that they should definitely condemn the attack which took place by Israel in Iran.' Tensions have escalated in West Asia after Israel carried out strikes in Iran. The developments come amid the background of Israel and Iran tensions in West Asia. Israel launched a massive airstrike on Iranian military and nuclear sites, dubbed 'Operation Rising Lion,' in response to which Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israeli cities. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement posted on social media platform X, that Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival', adding that the mission would continue 'for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.' Iranian News Agency IRNA said that the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), in response to the Israeli aggression, has launched a large-scale drone and missile operation targeting Israeli fighter jet fuel production facilities and energy supply centres. Called. 'Operation True Promise 3,' the strikes were conducted in direct retaliation against Israeli aggression. (ANI)
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Indian Students Stuck in Iran: Cultural Counsellor Assures Safety Of Foreign Nationals Amid Conflict
Farid Faridasr, Cultural Counsellor at Iran Culture House in New Delhi, assured that no foreign nationals have been harmed as Iran responds defensively to Israeli strikes. He urged the world to press Israel, not Iran, and stressed that embassies remain in constant contact, coordinating safety measures. Airspace will reopen when feasible, and Tehran's nuclear program remains for energy use only.#IranIsraelConflict #ProtectForeigners #NoForeignCasualties #FaridFaridasr #DefensiveResponse #EmbassyCoordination #AirspaceUpdate #GlobalCondemnation #CivilianSafety #NoNukes #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews Read More
