Medical students' body flags safety concerns of 3,000 Indian students in Iran amid protests

New Delhi [India], January 3 : As violent protests continue to spread across Iran, the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA) foreign student wing on Saturday appealed to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to intervene, saying nearly 3,000 Indian medical students are currently staying in the Middle Eastern country as unrest escalates across multiple cities.

In a letter addressed to Jaishankar, Mohammad Momin Khan, Vice President of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the All India Medical Students Association, expressed concern over the safety of Indian students amid a rapidly deteriorating security situation.

"On behalf of the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA), I wish to draw your kind and urgent attention to the prevailing situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the growing concern regarding the safety and well-being of nearly 3,000 Indian medical students currently pursuing medical education there," the letter said.

The letter noted that students and their families are facing severe anxiety due to the unstable situation on the ground.

"In view of the evolving regional circumstances and prevailing uncertainty, Indian medical students and their families across the country are experiencing considerable anxiety. These students are enrolled in various medical universities across Iran and largely depend on local infrastructure, hostels and academic institutions, making them particularly vulnerable during periods of instability," it added.

AIMSA urged the Ministry of External Affairs to take precautionary steps, including setting up emergency helplines and preparing evacuation plans if required.

"AIMSA humbly requests the Government of India, through the Ministry of External Affairs, to closely monitor the situation and take proactive and precautionary measures to ensure the safety, security, and uninterrupted communication of Indian medical students in Iran. Strengthening coordination with the Indian Embassy, establishing dedicated emergency helplines, issuing timely advisories, and preparing contingency or evacuation plans, if required, would provide much-needed reassurance to students and their families," the letter stated.

The appeal comes as Iran witnesses widespread protests over rising prices and economic hardship, with clashes reported between protestors and security forces.

Earlier on Friday, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his urgent and immediate intervention to ensure the safety, security, dignity, and welfare of Indian students, particularly from the Kashmir Valley, currently studying in Iran.

The situation in Iran was marked by widespread unrest, mass protests, violent crackdowns, and reported killings across several regions of the country.

In the letter addressed to the Prime Minister, JKSA expressed deep anxiety and grave concern over the plight of hundreds and thousands of Indian students, a majority of them from Jammu and Kashmir, who are pursuing MBBS and other professional medical courses in Iran due to its economically viable education system and long-standing academic ties with India.

Meanwhile, amid the unrest, US President Donald Trump issued a sharp warning to Tehran earlier this week, threatening possible intervention if Iranian authorities target peaceful protesters.

"If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump wrote in a post on Tuesday (local time).

Following Trump's remarks, Iran's former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi publicly thanked the US President for backing the protesters, saying Iranians are risking their lives to end decades of repression.

In a post on X, Pahlavi wrote, "President Trump, thank you for your strong leadership and support of my compatriots. This warning you have issued to the criminal leaders of the Islamic Republic gives my people greater strength and hopehope that, at last, a President of the United States is standing firmly by their side. As they risk their lives to end this regime's 46-year reign of chaos and terror, they send me with a responsibility and a message: to seek the relationship Iran once had with America that brought peace and prosperity to the Middle East."

Former Iranian Queen Farah Pahlavi also voiced support for the protests, calling on security forces to side with the people.

"We are a people with a proud history of culture, art, intellect and innovation. Iran was once a beacon of hope and progress and it will be again. The future belongs to those who dare to dream, who dare to fight for a better tomorrow... I call on the security forces to join the people in this movement," she posted on X.

Iran has, however, strongly pushed back against Trump's remarks. Its permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, wrote to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the President of the UN Security Council, demanding condemnation of what he called "unlawful threats" by the US President.

"Any attempt to incite, encourage or legitimise internal unrest as a pretext for external pressure or military intervention is a gross violation of the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Iravani wrote in the letter, published by state-run IRNA.

He warned that Iran would respond firmly and held Washington responsible for any escalation.

"The United States of America bears full responsibility for any consequences arising from these illegal threats and any subsequent escalation of tensions," he said.

According to IRNA, protests continued on Friday in cities including Qom, Marvdasht, Yasuj, Mashhad and Hamedan, with demonstrations also reported in several parts of Tehran. The unrest intensified after shopkeepers in Tehran went on strike over soaring prices and prolonged economic stagnation.

IRNA reported that at least nine people have been killed and 44 arrested so far.

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