New Delhi: India is making preparations to facilitate the return of its nationals from Iran who wish to travel back, sources said on Wednesday, as protests continue in several Iranian cities and concerns grow over regional escalation. According to sources, the Ministry of External Affairs is assessing options to assist Indian citizens in Iran in view of the evolving security situation.No formal evacuation announcement has been made so far, and while an Indian student leader had suggested that the embassy organised a charter flight for students for Friday morning, sources on Thursday evening said no evacuation flights have been scheduled yet.While the government is making preparations to facilitate Indians’ return from Iran, it has not organised any flights, the sources said, noting the evolving situation in the West Asian nation.The preparations come against a backdrop of a warning from the Indian mission in Tehran urging nationals to leave Iran “at the earliest” and to use all available means of transport to depart the country.The embassy advisory, dated January 14, reiterated earlier guidance issued on January 5, which had urged Indian citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran amid mounting unrest and risks to personal safety. Nationals in Iran were also advised to stay in close contact with the Indian mission, avoid protest areas and ensure travel documents are ready.Amid the unfolding situation, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said in an X post on Thursday that he spoke to external affairs minister S. Jaishankar about the situation in Iran.Just spoke to EAM @DrSJaishankar ji about the evolving situation in Iran. He shared his assessment of the ground situation & the plans that the External Affairs Ministry is working on. I’m grateful for his assurance that all steps will be taken to safeguard the interests & lives…— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) January 15, 2026Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Students Association convenor Nasir Khuehami had said Iran reopened its airspace to civilian traffic following a temporary closure amid rising tensions, and that this had cleared the way for a first evacuation flight to India.In a post on X on Thursday, he said this flight was scheduled to depart from Tehran for Delhi on Friday and the Indian embassy had collected students’ personal details and passports. An initial batch of students had been instructed to remain ready by 8 am, he added.However, official sources said later on Thursday denied that any concrete evacuation arrangements had been made. The government is still watching the situation in Iran, which has evolved with Washington threatening action and pulling out troops from neighbouring Qatar, but President Donald Trump appearing to hint at de-escalation in his recent statements.Later, Khuehami said the embassy has put the evacuation process “on hold until further notice”. It was initiated “purely as a precautionary measure in view of war-related concerns” but has been stayed in light of “official confirmation that no war like situation or further escalation is expected”, he wrote on X.As per estimates available with the Indian embassy in Tehran, around 9,000 Indian nationals are currently in Iran. This includes approximately 2,000 medical students, about 4,000 seminary students and nearly 2,000 fishermen based in coastal areas.The unrest in Iran began in December 2025 and has spread nationwide, driven initially by economic grievances and later by demands for political change. The government’s response has been marked by a harsh security crackdown, widespread internet shutdowns and communication disruptions that have left many families, including Indians in Iran, struggling to contact relatives.The domestic crisis in Iran has coincided with a marked rise in regional military tensions. The United States (US) has publicly warned it may take action in response to the crackdown, with Trump saying he received assurances that some executions had halted, even as he stopped short of ruling out military measures.In response to perceived threats from Tehran, some personnel at the major US-run Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar were advised to leave as a precaution, according to US officials and Gulf state statements.Iranian officials have renewed threats to target foreign bases in the region if Washington were to launch an attack, recalling past responses including a missile strike on the Al Udeid base in 2025.For many Indian families, the situation has invoked memories of Operation Sindhu, New Delhi’s evacuation operation in mid-2025 that brought back more than four thousand citizens home during a escalation of hostilities. That effort involved coordinated flights and land routes to neighbouring countries after conflict between Iran and Israel intensified, with US launching airstrikes followed by Iranian retaliation.This article was updated at 9:50 PM to add official sources’ denial of an evacuation flight being scheduled for Friday morning. It was also updated at 12:42 AM on Friday with additional information.