Hundreds of Indian students have been moved from the Iranian capital Tehran to safer locations, including the city of Qom, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday amid the widening Iran-US conflict and continued US and Israeli bombing of the country.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran said in a statement that “most of the Indian students” in Tehran have been transferred to safer places outside the city due to “heightened risk perception” in the Iranian capital. The embassy made arrangements for transportation, food and accommodation for them.
The above-mentioned people said that there are about 300 Indian students in Tehran, most of them from Jammu and Kashmir, and most of them have been transferred to Qom and other cities. There are about 3,000 Indian students in Iran, including about 2,000 from Jammu and Kashmir. They added that about a thousand Indian students left Iran when widespread protests broke out against the government last December.
The Indian embassy said that “only a small number” of Indian students, who rejected the mission’s offer of transfer, remained in Tehran. The embassy reiterated its previous warning urging Indians in Iran to stay where they are, stay in their homes, avoid unnecessary movements, exercise due caution, and avoid all areas witnessing protests or demonstrations.
The embassy also called on Indian citizens to maintain regular contact with the mission.
There have been no reports so far of Indian casualties in the Israeli and US attacks on Iran, which have killed more than 780 people since the weekend.
There are about 9,000 Indians in Tehran, including small traders, theology students and a small number of professionals. The number has decreased in recent years due to regional tensions and declining trade relations. Shiite pilgrims from India also travel to Iran every year, but their numbers have also declined in recent years.
The scope of the Iran-US conflict has expanded with Tehran launching attacks against several West Asian countries, including those hosting US military bases, after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a raid on his office complex in the capital on Saturday.
