New Delhi: The crisis in Iran is worsening by the hour and the security situation is deteriorating rapidly, with around 3,500 people having reportedly lost their lives in the protests against the regime under Ali Khamenei.

With the United States set to launch strikes on Iran anytime, the Indian government is preparing to safeguard the lives of around 10,000 Indian nationals currently present in the Islamic Republic, including more than 2,000 medical students.

The Indian Embassy in Tehran has begun collecting details of stranded citizens, and the first batch of evacuees is likely to be flown out from Tehran on Friday, top government sources confirmed to CNN-News18.

Special emphasis is being given to students studying in various Iranian universities. It’s not been an easy task because of a near-total internet blackout and an extremely volatile ground situation, with roadblocks and security crackdowns all over the place.

The Embassy personnel are trying to identify students and collect details physically.

The first evacuation flight from Tehran, carrying Indian nationals, will be a group of stranded students as Iran reopens its airspace to civilian flights following a brief shutdown.

According to information shared by the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association with OneIndia.com, preparations for the first evacuation batch are nearly complete.

The first group of evacuees has been instructed to be ready by 8 am for departure formalities.

Students from Golestan University in Gorgan are likely to be included in the first evacuation flight to Delhi, along with some students from Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBUMS) and Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS).