The Indian government has warned its citizens not to travel to Iran and said it is deeply concerned at the escalation of conflict in the Middle East.
The advisory comes a day after Iran fired around 200 missiles into Israel, invoking fears of a full-fledged war in the Middle East.
“It is important that the conflict doesn’t take a wider regional dimension, and we urge that all issues be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
It advised Indian nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran. “Those currently residing in Iran are requested to remain vigilant and stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Tehran.”
It also issued helpline numbers for the Indian nationals staying in the conflict-hit country.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar said, reacting to the escalating crisis in the Middle East, that India is “very much concerned” at the possibility of a regional war.
“We understand that Israel had a need to respond, but we also believe that any response by any country has to take into account international humanitarian law and that it must be careful about any damage or any implications for civilian populations,” he said while speaking at the Carnegie Endowment Centre for International Peace in the United States.
He also reiterated India’s position, saying that it considers the Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel a “terrorist attack,” adding that it was the “root cause” of the current tensions.
After Iran’s overnight attack, Israel has vowed to retaliate, saying it would respond at the “time and place of its choosing.” According to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the missile attack was a failure and that Iran would soon learn a painful lesson, just as its enemies in Gaza, Lebanon, and other places have learnt.
However, Iran has warned that it would carry out “crushing attacks” against Israel if it retaliated to the missile attack.
