India mulls evacuation of its nationals from Iran

India is mulling the evacuation of its nationals from Iran as the West Asia crisis deepens. According to estimates, India has 3000 to 4000 of its nationals in the country, many of them Kashmiri students. Earlier on Sunday, Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, spoke to Indian 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 was assured that the Ministry of External Affairs was in "close contact with their counterparts in Iran & will take all necessary steps to safeguard all Indian students in Iran." In the last few days, both Israel and Iran have exchanged fire, with strikes in each other's territory as fears grow of a long standoff coming.

India is mulling the evacuation of its nationals from Armenia and has reached out to the government as well for facilitation. Meanwhile, India's external affairs minister, Dr S. Jaishankar, and Armenia's foreign minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, have held talks. An Armenian foreign ministry statement said, "the situation in the region was discussed," and both the ministers "emphasised the importance of staying in constant contact and close cooperation in times of crisis"

On Sunday, the Indian Embassy in Tehran asked Indian nationals in the country to register themselves with the embassy. On 13th June, the embassy had issued an advisory to "stay vigilant, and avoid unnecessary movement". A statement said, "In view of the current situation in Iran, all Indian nationals & persons of Indian origin in Iran are requested to remain vigilant, avoid all unnecessary movements, follow the Embassy’s social media accounts & observe safety protocols as advised by local authorities."

Emergency numbers have already been issued for the Indian nationals: +98 9128109115; +98 9128109109; +98 901044557; +98 9015993320; +91 8086871709. Numbers have already been issued for ⁠Bandar Abbas: +98 9177699036 and ⁠Zahedan: +98 9396356649 as well.

Meanwhile, the Indian mission in Israel has also been issuing advisories and helpline number for its nationals in the country. In a fresh advisory, the embassy asked Indian nationals to "stay vigilant, strictly avoid any unnecessary movement and adhere to the safety protocols". The helpline numbers include +972 54-7520711 and +972 54-3278392. Around 30,000 Indians are believed to be in the country.

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, Haiti in 2024 under Operation Indravati.