NEW DELHI: The Government has begun drawing up contingency plans to bring back Indian nationals stranded in Iran amid mounting safety concerns as unrest continues to in large parts of the country, sources said.
“In view of the evolving situation in Iran, External Affairs Ministry is making preparations to facilitate the return of Indian nationals who wish to travel back to India,” a source said.
Students from Golestan University, along with a small number from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Tehran University of Medical Sciences, are expected to form the first evacuation batch.
Sources indicated that the first group of evacuees could be flown out as early as Friday, subject to security clearances and the availability of flight routes.
“All students have been duly registered, the Indian Embassy has collected their personal details and passports, and the first batch has been instructed to remain ready by 8 am,” the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) said in a statement.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran has intensified efforts to contact Indian students and other nationals spread across different regions of Iran to assess who wishes to return.
However, officials said the exercise is being carried out largely through physical outreach, as internet services remain suspended in several areas and telecommunication networks are unreliable. Embassy officials are moving on the ground to identify students and coordinate logistics, sources added.
Evacuation planning is also being complicated by disruptions to air travel.
Air India has cancelled at least three US-bound flights and warned of possible delays on some Europe-bound services after Iran briefly shut its airspace on Thursday.
The four-hour closure, triggered by volatile internal conditions and heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, disrupted flight routes connecting India with the US and Europe. Iranian airspace has since been reopened.
The situation has drawn political attention in India as well. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday that he had spoken to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar regarding the safety of Indian students in Iran.
“I was assured that all necessary steps are being taken to safeguard the interests of our students,” Abdullah said, noting that many of those affected are from Jammu and Kashmir.
Iran, meanwhile, has sought to downplay the crisis. Iran’s Ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, said the situation in the country is “under control,” with calm and stability returning to several cities.
He claimed that millions of Iranians have taken to the streets in support of the Islamic Republic, asserting that this “clearly” shows the country will not tolerate foreign interference despite economic pressures.
The unrest, which began late last month after a sharp plunge in the Iranian rial, has since expanded into wider political protests.
Rights groups allege that at least 3,428 people have been killed in a nationwide crackdown. Official estimates suggest more than 10,000 Indians, including students, are currently residing in Iran.
