Travel Advisory: India Urges Caution, Recommends Against Visits to Iran, Israel Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
Iran blamed Israel for the strike on its consulate in Syria 11 days ago and there have been fears that Tehran may launch an attack on Israel soon.
The ministry of external affairs on Friday issued a travel advisory urging all Indian citizens to refrain from travelling to Iran or Israel until further notice. The advisory, prompted by escalating tensions in the region, encouraged Indian nationals currently residing in Iran or Israel to contact the nearest Indian Embassies and register themselves with the authorities.
They were also advised to exercise extreme caution and limit their movements to essential activities only. “In view of the prevailing situation in the region, all Indians are advised not to travel to Iran or Israel till further notice,” the advisory read. “All those who are currently residing in Iran or Israel are requested to get in touch with Indian Embassies there and register themselves. They are also requested to observe utmost precautions about their safety and restrict their movements to the minimum,” the ministry added.
The advisory comes after Iran threatened reprisals over an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria, sparking fears of an escalation of violence in the Middle East. Iran has vowed revenge for the April 1 airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus that killed a top Iranian general and six other Iranian military officers. The “imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime” might have been avoided had the U.N. Security Council condemned the strike and brought the perpetrators to justice, Tehran’s mission to the United Nations said on Thursday.
Earlier today, the French foreign ministry advised its citizens against travelling to Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. In a statement on social media platform X, the French foreign ministry added that relatives of Iran-based diplomats will return to France and that French civil servants are now banned from conducting any missions in Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
Top American diplomat Antony Blinken, meanwhile, called counterparts including the Turkish, Chinese and Saudi foreign ministers “to make clear that escalation is not in anyone’s interest and that countries should urge Iran not to escalate,” according to the U.S. State Department.
