Foreign Ministry (Mea) official spokesperson Randhir Jaywal said that so far, 517 Indian nationals have returned to India from Iran under Operation Sindhu.
Jaiswal said that a special flight from Ashgabat in Turkmenistan reached New Delhi on 21 June. The Government of India has launched Operation Sindhu to vacate Indian citizens from Iran, in view of the deteriorating situation as a result of the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.
In a post on X, Jaiswal said, “Operation Sindhu continues. A special withdrawal flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, landed in New Delhi on 21 June at 0300 pm on June 21, brought Indians from Iran’s house. Along with this, 517 Indian citizens from Iran have returned home under Operation Sindhu.”
A fresh batch of Indian citizens was evacuated from Iran, safely landed in Delhi under Operation Sindhu on Saturday, under the ongoing efforts of the Government of India to bring back its citizens from the struggle-hit regions.
The Indian embassy in Tehran coordinated the students’ safe movement, while the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) ensured their safe return. An Indian citizen, who was expelled from Iran, Zafar Abbas Naqvi said how he and his family initially stayed inside the house after hearing about the attack on Iran. Later he went to Mashhad, which also came into the attack, inspiring him to contact the Government of India.
Naqvi praised the fast action taken by the government and thanked Prime Minister Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath for his support.
“Everything was going well, but one day we heard Iran was attacked. We stayed inside the house for some time. We went to Mashad again. Soon Mashhad came into the attack. We then approached the Government of India. The action was so fast that we could not express our gratitude in words. I want to thank Modi ji and Yogi ji.
Kulsoom, an Indian citizen from Iran, expressed relief on returning home safely, saying that the situation in Iran was worrisome and the government’s help was invaluable.
Talking to ANI, Kulsum said, “The situation in Iran is not good. We were very worried. The government helped us a lot and brought us back home safely.”
Another Indian citizen, who was extracted from Mashhad, Mohammad Ali Kazim, thanked the Government of India for helping him crossing the border and safely returning home. He mentioned that the situation in Iran, especially in Tehran, was not good.
“I am coming from Mashhad. It looks great to return home … We went on a religious journey. The situation there is not good, especially in Tehran … The Government of India helped us a lot in crossing the border and bringing us to India. The UP government is also helping us to take us back home …” He said.
The operation continues to provide relief to families across India, with the coordinated efforts of the Central and State Governments that ensure a safe return of citizens amidst the ongoing tensions in the region.
The first batch of 110 Indian students, including 90 from Kashmir, was safely vacated from North Iran and was taken to Armenia before flying to New Delhi. These students were mainly from Urmia Medical University.
The conflict between Israel and Iran entered their ninth day on Saturday. The struggle began after Israel on 13 June, began a massive air strike at Iranian military and nuclear sites, which was called “Operation Rising Lion”.
In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a large -scale drone and missile operation, ‘Operation True Promise 3’, which targeted Israeli fighter jet fuel production facilities and energy supply centers. (AI)