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MEA ‘doing whatever is necessary for well-being’ of 9,000 Indians in Iran : Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal
As protests persist in Iran, the Indian external affairs ministry confirms about 9,000 Indians reside there, urging them to leave.
As Iran grapples with protests for over two weeks now, India said on Friday that approximately 9,000 Indians are currently residing in the Islamic Republic and that the Ministry of External Affairs is committed to doing whatever is necessary for their well-being.
“Approximately 9,000 of our citizens are currently residing in Iran. The majority of them are students,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday as he addressed reporters in MEA's weekly media briefing.
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He added that the ministry had issued two to three advisories over the past few days whereby it advised Indian citizens to not travel to Iran at this time, and Indian citizens residing in Iran to leave the country by whatever means available.
“We are keeping a close watch on the situation there, and as far as our citizens are concerned, we are committed to doing whatever is necessary for their well-being,” Jaiswal added.
US President Donald Trump had earlier issued a threat of military intervention if Iranian security forces continued to kill protestors as he encouraged them saying “help is on the way”.
S Jaishankar spoke to Iranian FM: Jaiswal
Addressing the media briefing, Jaiswal said that the Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar had a conversation with the Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday as the two shared developments over the situation in Iran over the recent past.
The leaders spoke hours after India urged its nationals in Iran to leave the country amid rising tensions, Hindustan Times reported.
“Received a call from Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi,” Jaishankar wrote on his official X handle.
“We discussed the evolving situation in and around Iran,” he further wrote.
