India planning evacuation of nationals from Iran: Official sources

India is preparing to evacuate its citizens from Iran in view of the ongoing protests, official sources said on Thursday (January 15, 2026). MEA sources have told The Hindu that the Embassy of India in Tehran have started reaching out to Indian citizens to figure out the scale of the logistical exercise that would be required to fly multiple airlift sorties between India and Iran.

Iran protests LIVE on January 15, 2026

The plans for evacuation were started after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi discussed the evolving situation over a phone call on Wednesday (January 14, 2026). Indian citizens, consisting of students, pilgrims and business professionals, are concentrated in large urban centres of Iran like Qom, Tehran and Esfahan and other urban centres scattered across Iran.

Coordination in the current circumstances is challenging as Iran continues to black out internet services across its territory making communication between the Indian embassy and citizens. However, some Indian citizens especially students have been able to remain online as understandably they are able to access the internet services of neighbouring countries like Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Officials, however, cautioned that evacuation in the prevailing situation remains challenging as it would require support of the Iranian security services that are currently stretched thin in dealing with domestic law and order challenges related to the uprising.

Indian officials cautioned against rumours in this context, as the movement of a large number of people through protest-prone areas may be risky. Iran had temporarily closed its airspace on Wednesday (January 14, 2026), but reopened it on Thursday (January 15, 2026), which has increased the chances of India sending aircraft to Tehran. However, the operation would require considerable support from the Iranian side, officials here suggested.