"A group of Indian nationals arrived late on Friday at New Delhi Airport, returning from crisis-hit Iran following advisories issued by the Indian government and the Indian Embassy in Tehran. The footage shows relatives gathering in the arrival hall of the Indira Gandhi International Airport to welcome their loved ones. "Of course, we were scared - she is my mother, after all, and she was in another country. [...] As soon as international calls resumed, we got a clearer idea that the situation was under control," said Abbas Kasim, who received his mother from an Iranian pilgrimage. Kasim recalled that for several days, Iran experienced a complete internet blackout, leaving families with no way to contact. "We were very worried. When international calls finally started working, we found out that most things were actually under control. It wasn’t as bad as it had been hyped up to be," he explained. "It is generally known that during such public demonstrations, pilgrims are not mistreated in any way," said Najme Hyder, who was meeting his family from Iran. Passengers themselves described the situation as being far calmer than media reports suggested. "During the protests, it was safe, and Iran is not the way it is being portrayed by the media here. The situation there is fine. We were moving around freely and did plenty of shopping. We also carried out the purpose for which we had gone there without any difficulty," said Sarvant Raza, a pilgrim returning from Iran. The Ministry of External Affairs stressed that it is closely monitoring developments and is "committed to doing whatever is necessary for their well-being." "We are extremely happy now, and we sincerely thank the Indian government from the bottom of our hearts for managing and arranging a special flight under these conditions and safely bringing them back to India," said Najme Hyder. Iran has been witnessing protests since late December, beginning in Tehran before spreading to other cities, driven by worsening economic conditions and the sharp fall of the Iranian rial against the US dollar. Rioting and vandalism have targeted public property in several Iranian cities. The Iranian president accused what he called 'the enemy' of training groups inside and outside the country and bringing terrorists in from abroad. Authorities said more than 100 security personnel were killed while responding to the unrest. They added that efforts are underway to address what they described as protesters' 'legitimate' demands within available means, while warning that 'the enemy' is attempting to exploit economic grievances to 'stir unrest.'"