9,000 Indians stuck in Iran, Centre works on plan to bring them home

In fact, Turkmenistan has opened several additional checkpoints on its border with Iran to allow foreign citizens to leave the country. American Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has warned that American firepower over Iran could “surge dramatically” over the coming days.

On Tuesday, the Indian embassy in Iran announced that it had moved Indian students from the Iranian capital to safer locations, and only a few students remain in the city.

However, shortly after they arrived in Qom, some students reported hearing explosions in the vicinity. Amid renewed anxiety, they had urged the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to take immediate steps to ensure their safe evacuation from conflict-affected areas, preferably through the nearest secure land border once feasible.

India on Tuesday also urged its nationals in Iran to exercise extreme caution and remain indoors as the security situation in the country worsens. Besides students, there are some Indian seafarers in Iran, and a section of Shia Muslims who travel to the country for Islamic education and pilgrimage to holy sites, sources say.

“In view of the developing situation, all Indian nationals in Iran are advised to exercise utmost caution, avoid unnecessary movements and remain indoors as far as possible,” the Indian embassy in Tehran said in a fresh advisory on Tuesday, adding, “Indians may also continue to monitor the news, maintain situational awareness and await any further guidance from the Embassy of India.”

The embassy said, “Due to the heightened risk perception in Tehran city, the Embassy of India has relocated most Indian students who were in Tehran to safer locations outside Tehran. The Embassy has made arrangements for their transportation, food, and accommodation.”

“Only a small number of students who declined the Embassy’s offer remain in Tehran,” it added.

However, another source said no evacuation from Iran has been scheduled till now. “Several Indian nationals have returned through Armenia over the past few days, and some have chosen to stay back,” said the source.

When contacted, the MEA declined to comment on the matter. In a statement on Tuesday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said that New Delhi was “in touch with the governments of this region as well as other key partners”.

“Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister have held discussions with their counterparts. The government will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and take relevant decisions in the national interest,” he had said, without spelling out any plan for the evacuation of Indians from the region.

In June last year, during the 12-day Iran-Israel war, the government had launched Operation Sindhu on June 18 to evacuate Indian nationals from conflict zones in the two countries. A total of 3,597 Indian nationals – including students, workers, professionals, pilgrims and fishermen – from more than 15 Indian states were brought back from Iran to India.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has spoken to his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, twice since the beginning of the current conflict.

The MEA had issued travel advisories on January 5 and 14 this year, urging the avoidance of non-essential travel to Iran and advising Indians in Iran to leave via commercial flights and to stay alert. On February 23, barely a week before the military action started, the Indian Embassy in Tehran urged the Indian nationals in Iran to leave the country by available means of transport, including commercial flights.