The Indian Embassy in Tehran, Iran has issued an advisory for all Indian nationals staying in the country amid relentless strikes by the United States and Israel since February 28. Amid the closure of airspace and desperate efforts to leave Iran, the Indian embassy has asked Indian nationals not to cross any land border for further travel without an embassy.
In a warning to Indian nationals who tried to cross the border, the Indian embassy said the nationals faced “severe logistical and immigration difficulties”.
She also warned those who cross the border territory, saying: “The embassy will not be able to provide assistance once individuals move outside of Iranian territory without prior coordination.”
Read the full statement from the Indian Embassy here
1. In continuation/reiteration of our March 9 advisory, all Indian nationals currently in Iran are strongly advised not to approach or attempt to cross any land border of Iran for onward travel without prior and express coordination with the Embassy of India in Tehran.
2. The Embassy is in regular contact with members of the Indian community and coordinated action is being taken wherever necessary. Uncoordinated movement towards land borders is strongly discouraged.
3. Indian nationals who attempt to leave Iran through the land border without the knowledge and guidance of the embassy are very likely to encounter serious logistical and immigration difficulties. Please note that the Embassy will not be able to provide assistance once individuals move outside of Iranian territory without prior coordination.
4. All Indian nationals in Iran are therefore requested to strictly follow the advice of the Embassy and stay in touch with official channels and before starting any journey.
Indian Embassy issues helpline numbers:
For Indians stranded in a country in the middle of a conflict in West Asia, the embassy has released helpline numbers for all travel-related queries or emergencies:
The Embassy has also published an email ID “cons.tehran@mea.gov.in” for all travel related assistance.
Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal informed that as many as 90 nationals of Iran have crossed into Azerbaijan through the land border and 550 are in Armenia.
“We also had approximately 90 of our nationals from Iran cross into Azerbaijan through the land border. These movements were facilitated by our embassy in Tehran. They were assisted with visas as well as immigration formalities that were required,” the MEA spokesperson said.
He added: “In this group of 550 people that I mentioned who crossed from Iran to Armenia, we also have 284 people who went to Iran for pilgrimage. These people are in both of these countries right now. Some of them have already returned and others will return in the next few days or so.”
