Iranian Foreign Minister dials Jaishankar as India advises citizens to leave Iran amid rising tensions

Hours after India asked its nationals in Iran to leave the country amid rising tensions over anti-government protests, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday called External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar to discuss the “evolving situation” in and around Iran.

“Received a call from Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. We discussed the evolving situation in and around Iran,” EAM Jaishankar said in a social media post on X.

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The development follows India’s advisory to its nationals in Iran, asking them to leave the country by available means of transport, including commercial flights.

The advisory further reiterated that all Indian citizens and PIOs should “exercise due caution, avoid areas of protests or demonstrations, stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Iran and monitor local media for any developments.”

The advisory came amid US President Donald Trump’s threat to militarily intervene in Iran amid the regime’s violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.

More than 2,400 protesters have been killed in Iran since December 28 when the protests began over falling currency and rising inflation.

US withdrawing troops from Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar after Iran warning as tensions rise over protesters’ killings

Within days, the protests turned into a massive uprising against the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei-led regime and spread to all 31 provinces of the country.

Iran has accused the US and Israel of fueling the protests in a bid to enforce a regime change. Trump has said that the US will attack Iran if protesters are killed.

In response, Iran warned countries hosting US bases that it will target the US military infrastructure in their territories if it is attacked by Washington.

Following the Iranian warning, the US has begun to withdraw an unspecified number of personnel from its Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar as a “precautionary measure”.