Srinagar, June 16 -- Their destination was Qom, and then Gilan, a northern province thought to be safer from Israeli airstrikes. From there, officials hope, they might reach the Armenian border. But no one knows how long that will take.

"We've been told to get out. So we're going," said a medical student from Srinagar who asked not to be named. "They said no one should stay back in dorms or apartments. We've seen missiles fall near us. No one wants to be left behind."

The Indian Embassy in Tehran has coordinated the bus relocations as part of a limited evacuation plan for students caught in the middle of a conflict that seems to grow more violent by the hour.

On Sunday, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs granted permission for Ind...