West Asia crisis | MEA sets up special control room to assist Indians

Furthermore, they provided a list of contact numbers for citizens who would require the assistance of the Indian Embassies in regions listed.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has set up a control room to assist those affected by the escalating crisis in West Asia.

The MEA has said almost one crore Indian citizens live in West Asia and their safety and well-being is of "utmost priority" for New Delhi.

As the Iran-US conflict widened, the Indian embassy in Iran moved hundreds of Indian students from the Iranian capital of Tehran to safer locations.

The Control Room can be contacted from 9 am to 9 pm at the numbers provided:

1800118797 (Toll Free) [phone] [phone] [phone]

Furthermore, it provided a list of contact numbers for citizens who would require the assistance of the Indian Embassies in regions listed:

Bahrain: [phone] Iran: [phone] / [phone] /[phone] / [phone] Iraq: [phone] / [phone] Israel: [phone] / [phone] Jordan: [phone] Kuwait: + 965 65501946 Lebanon: [phone] Oman: [phone] (Whatsapp) / 80071234 (Toll free) Qatar: [phone] Ramallah, Palestine: [phone] Saudi Arabia (Riyadh): [phone] / 800 247 1234 (toll free) Saudi Arabia (Jeddah): [phone] / [phone] United Arab Emirates: [phone] (Whatsapp) / 800 46342 (Toll free)

The MEA on Tuesday reacted to the ongoing West Asia conflict said that the developments evoke "great anxiety" for India being a proximate neighbour.

"In recent days, we have not only witnessed an intensification of the conflict but also its spread to other nations. The destruction and deaths have mounted, even as normal life and economic activities come to a halt. As a proximate neighbour with critical stakes in the security and stability of the region, these developments evoke great anxiety," MEA said.

There are almost one crore Indian citizens who live and work in the Gulf region. Their safety and well-being is of utmost priority. We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them. Our trade and energy supply chains also traverse this geography. Any major disruption has serious consequences for the Indian economy. As a country whose nationals are prominent in the global workforce, India is also firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping. Already, some Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing as a result of such attacks in the last few days," it added.

The West Asia turmoil boiled into its fifth day, as US President Donald Trump suggested that the conflict would last several weeks or longer.