Baku claims Azerbaijani soldier killed in shootout at border with Armenia

India on Thursday highlighted a high-level diplomatic push to protect Indian interests, emphasising the twin priorities of citizen safety and the stability of energy supply chains.

India on Thursday rejected Pakistan's allegations of aggravating skirmishes with Afghanistan, calling them "baseless" and accusing Pakistan of blaming others for its own misdeeds.

MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, while addressing an Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia, said that the Indian Embassy in Tehran remains fully operational and is on high alert. The government is assisting Indian nationals, including students and pilgrims, who wish to leave the country. He further added that those choosing to exit Iran via land, the embassy is assisting citizens in crossing into Armenia and Azerbaijan, from where they can board commercial flights to return to India.

Indian students studying in Iran have begun making arrangements to leave the country amid growing safety concerns, with the first batch expected to depart for the Armenia border on Thursday as evacuation plans gradually take shape.

Amid the developing security situation in West Asia, the Indian Embassy in Qatar provided an update, where it mentioned that about 1000 Indian passengers have travelled back to New Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi. It further said that temporary transit visas of 96 hours' validity had been issued for Indian nationals through the Salwa border to Saudi Arabia and underlined that the Embassy's 24/7 control room remains functional.