Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad Member of Parliament (MP) Asaduddin Owaisi has appealed to the Government of India and the Telangana state administration to ensure the immediate evacuation of more than 1,700 Indian nationals stranded in Iran and Iraq amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

In a post on X on Saturday, June 14, Owaisi said that 1,595 Indian students—including 140 medical students at Tehran University—are stuck in Iran, while 183 Indian pilgrims remain stranded in Iraq.

Owaisi confirmed he had shared details of those affected with Joint Secretary (PAI) Anand Prakash in the Ministry of External Affairs. He urged External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Telangana Chief Minister Anumula Revanth Reddy to act swiftly to ensure their safe return.

“I request the Government of India to treat this as an emergency and coordinate an urgent evacuation,” Owaisi added.

This comes after Israel launched Operation Rising Lion at dawn on Friday, June 13, targeting key military and nuclear sites in Iran. The strikes reportedly killed senior military officials, nuclear scientists, and civilians.

In response, Iran retaliated early Saturday under Operation True Promise 3, launching missile attacks on Israel and fuelling regional instability.

Airspace restrictions over Iran and Iraq have disrupted flight operations, heightening the urgency of evacuation efforts.