Indians exit as Trump gives vacate Tehran call

Indian students in Tehran have been moved out of the city for safety reasons, with arrangements made by the Indian Embassy. Separately, Indian residents who are self-sufficient and have their own transport have been advised to leave the city due to the evolving situation.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said some other Indian nationals had exited Iran via its land border with Armenia.

The developments follow separate advisories from US President Donald Trump and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) urging people to vacate Tehran. Trump posted “evacuate Tehran” on his social media platform, Truth Social, though a White House official later clarified that he was not literally instructing residents to leave.

Tehran, with a population of around 9.5 million, also saw an evacuation warning from the Israeli military earlier in the day, affecting up to 3,30,000 people in part of central Tehran. Israeli military spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin said Israeli forces had “achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran’s skies,” prompting the evacuation call.

The MEA confirmed that the Indian Embassy in Tehran remained in constant contact with the Indian community to provide all possible assistance. Meanwhile, a control room has been set up in New Delhi, along with 24x7 emergency helplines in three Iranian cities — Tehran, Bandar Abbas and Zahedan.

The New Delhi control room can be reached at the following numbers: 1800118797 (toll-free), 91-11-23012113, 91-11-23014104, 91-11-23017905 and 91-9968291988 (WhatsApp). Queries can also be emailed to situationroom@mea.gov.in.

In Tehran, the emergency helpline numbers are 98 9128109115 and 98 9128109109, with WhatsApp contacts at 98 901044557, 98 9015993320, and 91 8086871709. For Bandar Abbas, the contact is 98 9177699036, while Zahedan can be reached at 98 9396356649. Emails can be sent to cons.tehran@mea.gov.in.