There are approximately 9,000-10,000 Indian nationals in Iran, the Union government told Parliament on Thursday, adding that it does not consider them “stranded”.
The statement came in response to a question about the number of Indians stranded in Iran amid the recent anti-government protests.
The protests, which began on December 28, initially focused on discontent about rising inflation. However, they later expanded as protesters in more than 100 towns demanded an end to clerical rule.
According to the United States-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the toll in the crackdown on the protests is at least 6,876, reported PTI.
On Thursday, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said that there are no reports of any Indian national being missing or killed during the protests.
He added that New Delhi does not consider Indians in Iran as being stranded, as Iranian airspace remains open and commercial flights con.
“With commercial flights operating, Indian nationals wishing to return to India have been advised to use regular commercial air services,” said Singh.
The minister of state also said that the Embassy of India in Tehran is in “regular contact with the community and continues to provide guidance and support”.
On January 16, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday urged Indian citizens to leave Iran, emphasising that commercial flights were still operating out of the country.
New Delhi added that it is monitoring the situation in Iran and will take steps for the welfare of Indian citizens “if the need arises”.
Singh said on Thursday that no evacuations had taken place since June, when a conflict had broken out between Iran and Israel.
On June 26, the Ministry of External Affairs said that 4,415 Indians had been evacuated from Israel and Iran.
Meanwhile, amid the protests in Iran, the country’s government on January 8 snapped internet access and telephone lines, largely cutting off the country from the outside world. The authorities have accused the US and Israel of inciting the unrest.
The restrictions were eased on January 13, AP reported. However, text messaging services were still down and internet users were only able to connect to government-approved websites locally.
The internet shutdown had made it difficult for international human rights groups to independently verify the toll.
On January 23, the United Nations Human Rights Council extended for two years and broadened the mandate of the independent investigators gathering evidence to ensure accountability for human rights violations in Iran.
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