BREAKING : India tells citizens to leave Tehran
The Indian embassy in the Iranian capital has urged its nationals and people of Indian origin to leave Tehran.
It is estimated that about 10,000 Indians live and work in Iran.
The Indian External Affairs Ministry says, in view of the developing situation in Iran, Indian students in Tehran "have been moved out of the city for safety reasons" and some of its nationals "have been facilitated to leave Iran through the land border with Armenia". Many of the Indian students are said to be from Indian-administered Kashmir.
Iran was one of the top suppliers of crude oil to India, the world’s third biggest oil importer and consumer. But Delhi stopped importing the Iranian fuel due to the US sanctions in 2019.
Delhi maintains friendly ties with both Israel and Iran. Last year Delhi signed a 10-year deal with Tehran to develop and operate the strategically important Chabahar port in south-eastern part of the country in a contract estimated to be about $370m (£272m).
The port opened a transit route for Indian goods and products to Afghanistan and Central Asia, avoiding the land route through India’s arch-rival Pakistan. Soon after the deal was signed, the US warned of potential sanctions for any country considering business deals with Iran. With the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, there may be concerns over the future of the Chabahar port project.
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