The Centre is gearing up to fly out Indians stranded in Iran as the country has become increasingly unsafe amid growing violence, rising death tolls and looming war threats.
The first batch of Indians, including students, who are stranded in the country will be flown out around 8 am on Friday. More than 10,000 Indians are estimated to be currently staying in the country.
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This comes a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dialled Union Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar to discuss the evolving situation in Iran.
Most of these students hail from Jammu and Kashmir. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Jaishankar assured him that all necessary steps were being taken to safeguard the interests of students stranded in Iran.
"All students have been duly registered, the Indian embassy has collected their personal details and passports, and the first batch has been informed to remain ready by 8 am," the JKSA said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the internet connectivity in the country has been disrupted and embassy officials are physically reaching out to the students who have registered with the authorities.
On Wednesday, an advisory by the Tehran embassy urged Indian citizens in the country to leave Iran by any means of transport available and warned others against travelling to the country until further notice.
“In view of the ongoing developments in Iran, Indian nationals are once again strongly advised to avoid travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran until further notice," the embassy stated.
It also asked citizens to keep their travel and immigration documents, including passports and IDs, ready, adding that they can contact the embassy for any assistance.
Sharing the emergency helplines, the embassy stated, "The emergency contact helplines of the Indian Embassy are provided below: Mobile Numbers: +989128109115; +989128109109; +989128109102; +989932179359. Email: cons.tehran@mea.gov.in."
Human rights groups have suggested that at least 3,400 people have been killed in the ongoing protests so far. However, a report by Iran International has alleged that the actual death toll has crossed 12,000.