Nearly 900 Indian nationals, mostly students from Jammu and Kashmir, have crossed over from Iran to neighboring Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent days, with some already returning home, the external affairs ministry said.
The move comes after Israel and the US launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, triggering a conflict that has widened over the past few weeks.
With Iran's airspace still closed, the Indian embassy has helped Indian nationals cross into Armenia and Azerbaijan and has also relocated hundreds of students from Tehran and Qom to safer locations.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 882 Indian nationals, including students, businesspeople, and pilgrims, had so far crossed into Armenia and Azerbaijan.
This figure includes 772 Indians who crossed into Armenia and 110 who entered Azerbaijan, he said.
Several Indians have already returned from both countries, including most of a group of 284 pilgrims who crossed into Armenia.
Jaiswal acknowledged that a large number of female students from Kashmir were waiting to cross over to Azerbaijan, citing difficulties in the smooth flow of people due to a large number of people at the frontier.
He reiterated an advisory from the Indian mission in Tehran, urging all Indian nationals to coordinate with the embassy to cross to Armenia and Azerbaijan smoothly.
People familiar with the matter said there are problems crossing into Azerbaijan, as the country allows only 10 Indian nationals through the land border every day.
“Once they hit this number, others are turned back to the Iranian side. We are in touch with the Azeri side to address this issue,” a person said.
Many Indian students were attempting to cross into Azerbaijan because flights from that country were cheaper than those from Armenia.
