India starts relocating citizens from Tehran to other parts of Iran, considers exit routes from Israel for Indian citizens

An explosion is seen during a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel.
| Photo Credit: AP

As the conflict between Iran and Israel continues to escalate, the government has initiated efforts to move Indian citizens in both countries to safer areas, although no evacuation plans are currently in progress. It has also advised them to limit their movements, given the daily aerial strikes.

The Indian embassy in Tehran began working with local Iranian authorities on Monday to shift Indian citizens by bus to safer places outside the capital and from other cities being targeted by Israeli strikes, while more than 100 students have crossed the border to Armenia.

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In Israel, where the airspace is closed completely, Indian embassy officials in Tel Aviv are guiding citizens who can move out towards the land borders with Jordan and Egypt. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who has been in touch with his counterparts in Iran and Israel in the last few days, also spoke with others in the region on Monday.

In separate posts on social media, Mr. Jaishankar said that he had “discussed ongoing developments in the region and [India-Armenia] close cooperation” with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, and also discussed the “role of diplomacy” with with Foreign Minister of United Arab Emirates, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 

The Indian embassy in Tel Aviv has registered Indian citizens, held zoom calls with them and issued an advisory telling them not to undertake “unnecessary movements”. The number of Indian citizens in the country has grown rapidly to an estimated 25,000 over the past 18 months after India agreed to Israeli requests for skilled labour to work on construction projects after authorities cancelled thousands of work permits to Palestinians.

At present, it is possible to leave Israel through the border crossings to Jordan and Egypt, officials said, and those wanting to return to India are being advised on the best possible routes to reach the border sites. “No details of arrangements for transport and visas or an evacuation plan have been shared with us so far. It would be good to know what the government is thinking about,” an Indian research scholar based in Israel, who asked not to be named, told The Hindu.

In Iran, sources said that buses have started relocating Indian students from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University-Tehran Medical Sciences, and the Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. India has been discussing with Armenian authorities to enable Indian citizens cross the border at Agarak. While border crossings from Iran to Turkiye and Azerbaijan are also open at present, sources suggested that those crossings may prove less convenient given the tense ties with both countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. 

A similar relocation of students is expected to take place soon from the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran and Urmia University of Medical Sciences near Iran’s border. Indian officials have advised students that “it is highly advisable to move out of Tehran by availing of this bus facility”. Indian visitors are entitled to a 14-day visa-free period but with no easy way out of the country, travellers and religious pilgrims are worried that their permits will run out.

Given the uncertain situation, officials said the Indian Embassy in Tehran will try to relocate Indians, including about 7,500 students to safer cities and towns outside the capital area. The embassy is continuously assessing the situation, the officials said. Indian authorities have registered citizens in Iran through Google forms and set up hotlines and social media groups to keep them updated.