The Indian embassy in Tehran on Tuesday asked Indian citizens to leave the Iranian capital.

“All Indian nationals and PIOs [persons of Indian origin] who can move out of Tehran using their own resources, are advised to move to a safe location outside the city,” the embassy said.

Indians who are in Tehran but not in touch with the embassy were asked to contact the diplomatic mission immediately and provide their location and contact numbers.

In another statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that Indian students in Tehran had been moved out of the city for “reasons of safety” through arrangements made by the embassy.

Some Indians were also facilitated to leave Iran through its border with Armenia, the ministry added.

The embassy urged Indians to leave Tehran after the Israel Defense Forces on Monday issued a warning, asking people in District 3 of the Iranian capital to leave the area immediately for their safety.

“In the coming hours, the Israeli Army will take action in this area to attack the Iranian regime’s military infrastructure, just as it has done in recent days around Tehran,” the Israeli forces had said.

Hours later, United States President Donald Trump had also urged people living in Tehran to immediately evacuate.

The latest round of the conflict between Israel and Iran started on Friday when the Israeli military struck what it claimed were nuclear targets and also on other sites in Iran with an aim of stalling Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The attacks have led to concerns of an escalation and a wider conflict in the region.

The Indian embassy in Tehran had on Monday started coordinating with Iranian authorities to relocate Indian citizens to safer places outside the capital and other cities being targeted by the Israeli strikes, The Hindu reported.

The Indian embassy in Tel Aviv was assisting Indian citizens in leaving the country through its borders with Jordan and Egypt as the airspace was shut, The Hindu reported. The embassy had registered Indians in the country and advised them not to undertake “unnecessary movements”.

On Tuesday, the external affairs ministry said that it had set up a control room in view of the crisis in West Asia.

Over the past five days, the Israel Defense Forces have repeatedly hit sites in Tehran and several other cities. Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz was among the targets that were hit.

On Saturday, Iran retaliated with missile attacks at several places across Israel, including the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa.

The two sides have continued to attack each other with air strikes and ballistic missiles.

More than 220 persons have died in Israeli strikes in Iran. In Israel, at least 24 persons have been killed in Iranian attacks so far.

Israel has claimed that Iran was “closer than ever” to obtaining a nuclear weapon, and said it had no choice but to “fulfil the obligation to act in defence of its citizens”. Iran has for long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.

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