New Delhi: India has started the evacuation of its students from the war-torn Iran via Armenia. The first batch of 110 students is about to reach the Armenian border and will be evacuated from the country by air.
Indian students are being moved from Qom to Tehran as well. A statement by the Indian government on Sunday said that the “students are being relocated with the embassy’s facilitation to safer places within Iran”. It added that the embassy is in touch with “community leaders regarding welfare and safety.”
India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan held talks on the issue on Sunday evening. An Armenian foreign ministry statement said, “The situation in the region was discussed” and both the ministers “emphasized the importance of staying in constant contact and close cooperation in times of crisis”.
According to estimates, there are around 3000-4000 Indian nationals in the Islamic Republic, and many of them are Kashmiri students. On Sunday, the Indian embassy in Tehran asked Indian nationals in the country to register themselves with the embassy.
Last week, the Indian embassy in Tehran had issued an advisory to all Indian nationals in Iran, asking them to “stay vigilant and avoid unnecessary movement”. It said in a statement, “In view of the current situation in Iran, all Indian nationals and persons of Indian origin in Iran are requested to remain vigilant, avoid all unnecessary movements, follow the embassy’s social media accounts, and observe safety protocols as advised by local authorities.”
Chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah also spoke to India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to discuss the safety of Kashmiri students in the war-torn country.
A social media post from the chief minister said that he got assurance that the Ministry of External Affairs is in “close contact with their counterparts in Iran and will take all necessary steps to safeguard all Indian students in Iran.”
In the last few days, both Israel and Iran have struck on each other’s territory as fears grow of a long stand-off coming.
India has in the recent past evacuated its nationals from conflict zones, including from Afghanistan in 2021 under Operation Devi Shakti, Ukraine in 2022 under Operation Ganga, Sudan in 2023 under Operation Kaveri, Israel in 2023 under Operation Ajay, and Haiti in 2024 under Operation Indravati.