Iran has not yet evacuated its citizens from Wuhan, China.

Iranian authorities plan to repatriate 80 of their citizens from China. The actual number of Iranians in China is likely higher. Many countries, including Turkey and Germany, have long evacuated their citizens from China.

Dr. Kianoush Jahanpour, head of the Ministry of Health's Information and Public Relations Center, announced the dispatch of a special plane with quarantine equipment to repatriate 80 Iranians living in China. The majority of these people are students studying in China.

The Iranian official did not disclose the actual number of Iranian citizens living in China. The number of Iranian expatriates in China has increased significantly in recent years, and Iranian officials previously said that around 1,400 Iranian students were studying in China, with Wuhan considered an important city for Iranian students.

The head of the Ministry of Health's Information and Public Relations Center has said that after returning to the country from China, people will be quarantined in a hotel in Tehran for 14 days, with the presence of a medical team and full facilities.

The head of the Ministry of Health's Information and Public Relations Center said about the negotiations and initial agreement with the Chinese: "Negotiations have been held with China on this matter and an initial agreement has been reached. Considering that two other countries, such as Turkey, have evacuated their citizens from China, we do not think there will be any diplomatic problems with the return of our compatriots."

Iranian officials have also emphasized that negotiations have been held with Chinese authorities regarding the permission for Iranians residing in China to leave the country and an initial agreement has been reached. This is while many countries have quickly evacuated their citizens from China and have not spoken about obtaining permission, negotiating with Chinese authorities, reaching an agreement with the Chinese, or possible diplomatic problems.

The fate of Iranian students living in Wuhan

The coronavirus outbreak began two months ago in the Wuhan fish market, and the virus has now spread to all corners of the world.

So far, cases of coronavirus have been reported in the United States, France, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Singapore, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, Sweden, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia. International airports in the countries are strictly screening passengers arriving from China.

The Iranian Embassy in Beijing has announced that no reports of Iranians living in China being infected with the coronavirus have been received so far.

Iranian authorities have not yet provided information about the fate of their citizens in Wuhan. The actual number of Iranians living in the metropolis of Wuhan is also unknown.

More than two hundred Iranian students study in Wuhan, a group of whom have established the “General Assembly of Iranian Students in Wuhan.” One of these students previously told China Radio that Wuhan has become the city with the largest number of Iranian students in all of China.