The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that the government is working to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens stranded in West Asia amid escalating tensions.
While addressing an inter-ministerial press conference on the recent developments in West Asia, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Indian Embassy in Tehran remains fully operational and is on high alert. The government assists Indian citizens, including students and pilgrims, who wish to leave the country.
He also added that for those who choose to exit Iran by land, the embassy helps citizens transit to Armenia and Azerbaijan, where they can board commercial flights back to India.
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“Others are still there. Our embassy is in regular contact with them. We have also transferred some students, other visitors and pilgrims to different cities to ensure their safety. We are also helping – our embassy in Tehran is helping – people who want to cross the land border and go to Armenia and Azerbaijan, and from there they take commercial flights to return home. So this option is also available for those who want to take advantage of that and benefit from it. We are helping these people,” he said.
Jaiswal urged Indians to follow advice and stay in touch with embassies and consulates while providing updates on safety, situation and assistance provided to the Indian community in the region.
“Please follow all our social media accounts, press releases and statements to get more updates on the well-being of our Indian community in the Gulf region, as well as on developments related to us and how we engage and engage with people who are in that region. In Iran, there is a lot of interest because we have students and we have Indian nationals there as well, about 9,000 of them. Among these, many of our students and others who were there, and listened to our advice to leave the country, have returned home,” he said.
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Indian missions across the region are continuously monitoring the situation, issuing updated warnings, and providing support to community members.
Jaiswal also said that the government is prioritizing the well-being of the 10 million expatriates in the Gulf region, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar engage with regional leaders.
“The Ministry of External Affairs has kept you updated on the developments in the region. I would like to add a few elements to that and also reiterate some of the points we made earlier. As you know, we have a large diaspora in the GCC, numbering around 10 million or 10 crore rupees. The welfare of our diaspora is of utmost priority and importance to us,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have maintained regular contact with their counterparts in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Israel and Iran to assure the safety of the 10 million-strong Indian diaspora in the GCC.
He said: “You would have seen that we issued statements in which our Prime Minister spoke with several leaders in the region, including the leaders of the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Israel. The Foreign Affairs Minister was also in regular contact with his counterparts in these countries, as well as Iran. Today, he also held several conversations with his counterparts, and these details have been made available to you as well.”
Jaiswal said Indian missions are in touch with those stranded. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs established a control room to respond to inquiries and concerns.
He said: “I just want to say that we remain committed to the well-being of our citizens, our citizens residing in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and West Asian countries. All of our missions in the region are in regular contact with our community members. We have issued warnings and are updating them regularly. For more details on those, my colleague would like to add some additional details on that. I would also like to inform you that we, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have started a control room, which operates throughout the day.”
“We have been receiving a lot of phone calls, a lot of emails related to Indian citizens and their well-being, from friends and families, and we have been guiding them in every possible way. Just to update you, yesterday we received 75 phone calls and 11 emails, which were answered. Today again, our staff is there to man the control room and are doing their best,” Jaiswal said.
Jaiswal also noted that certain casualties had occurred in the area. Two Indians are dead and another is missing, and efforts are being made to trace him.
“There have been reports of some casualties, and on that, I would like to update you. We have lost two Indian nationals, and one is still missing. We express our condolences to their families. These three Indian nationals – they are dead or missing – this happened when they were on board ships or merchant ships or that merchant ship was attacked. A few Indians who were injured in the GCC region are being taken care of and are being treated, and our embassy and consulate are in close contact with them to ensure Their safety. “Luxury,” he said.
Jaiswal said that another Indian was injured and was receiving medical care in Dubai.
He said: “An Indian national, as he was – as you would have seen those reports as well, he was infected in Israel. He was taken to the hospital. He is receiving treatment, and he is recovering well. This morning, you would have seen reports of an Indian national being infected in Dubai. And this man, our consulate is in contact with him. He is also receiving treatment in the hospital, and we are in regular contact with him to ensure his safety and well-being.”
Indian missions across the region are continuously monitoring the situation, issuing updated warnings, and providing support to community members.
