Faridabad, June 24 : A student recently evacuated from war-hit Iran, Saniya Zehar on Tuesday expressed deep gratitude to the Indian Embassy, the Union government, and the media for ensuring the safe return of hundreds of Indians stranded in the conflict zone.

Sharing her harrowing experience, Saniya Zehar said their evacuation would not have been possible without the relentless efforts of all stakeholders.

Speaking to IANS, Saniya Zehar said, "I want to thank the Embassy, the Indian Government, and the media. It’s only because of them that we were able to come back. If it weren’t for the media raising our voices, we might have remained unheard. We were brought back by air, and I believe nearly 2,000 Indians were there in Iran."

She also described the terror that gripped them during their final days in Iran, where the Internet shutdown cut off communication and left them in a state of helplessness and fear.

“It felt like death was near. We didn’t know how much time we had left. We had lost contact as the Internet was shut down — we could only manage voice calls. My father kept trying to give us hope, saying the Embassy and media were doing something. He would tell me, ‘People were brought back from Ukraine and Russia, so why not from Iran?’”, she told IANS.

On being asked about her future plans, Saniya Zehar remained optimistic despite the trauma.

“Now that a ceasefire has been declared between Iran and Israel, we hope to go back. We’ve dreamt of becoming doctors and completing our MBBS. It's not right to leave that dream incomplete,” she concluded.