The Indian government has advised its nationals in Iran to leave the country in view of the volatile security situation, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday, stressing it is closely tracking developments and “committed to doing whatever is necessary for their well-being.”

Providing details, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Approximately 9,000 of our citizens are currently residing in Iran. The majority of them are students. In light of the recent developments there, we have issued two or three advisories.”

He made the remarks during the weekly press briefing here in the national capital.

Elaborating on the advisories, Jaiswal said, “In these advisories, we have advised our citizens in India not to travel to Iran at this time, and we have advised Indian citizens residing in Iran to leave the country by whatever means are available.”

“We are keeping a close watch on the situation there, and as far as our citizens are concerned, we are committed to doing whatever is necessary for their well-being,” he added, amid rising regional tensions linked to Tehran’s crackdown on nationwide protests that have reportedly killed hundreds, and concerns over possible US intervention.

An advisory issued by the Indian Embassy in Tehran asked Indian nationals, including students, businesspeople, pilgrims and tourists, to depart Iran through available means of transport, including commercial flights, citing the “evolving situation”.