On Wednesday, India launched ‘Operation Sindhu’ to bring back Indian citizens from Iran amid rising fears of possible military strikes by Israel and the US.
The first group of 100 Indian students travelled from Armenia back to Delhi early Thursday morning. As India began the evacuation, officials from the Iranian embassy said some Indian students had been injured in a recent attack, and Iran’s foreign ministry is closely coordinating with the Indian mission in Tehran.
The Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement saying, “Due to the worsening situation caused by the conflict between Iran and Israel, the Indian government has been taking steps over the past few days to ensure the safety of Indian nationals in Iran.”
The statement explained that the Indian Embassy evacuated 110 students from northern Iran to Armenia on June 17, with the students traveling by road to Yerevan under the supervision of Indian officials. They flew from Yerevan on a special flight on June 18 and are expected to arrive in New Delhi early June 19 as part of the initial phase of Operation Sindhu.
India thanked the governments of Iran and Armenia for helping with the evacuation. The government said it prioritizes the safety of Indians abroad and is helping many citizens move from dangerous areas within Iran to safer places before arranging their evacuation through available options. Indian nationals in Iran are advised to stay in touch with the Indian Embassy in Tehran via its emergency helpline and with the 24/7 Control Room set up by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
There are more than 4,000 Indians in Iran, about half of whom are students. On Tuesday, India had asked its citizens to leave Tehran. While planning the evacuation, India faces challenges because some of Iran’s neighboring countries like Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan don’t have good ties with India.
Apart from Armenia, India has friendly relations with Turkmenistan and Iraq, which also border Iran. It has no official diplomatic ties with Afghanistan. India can also evacuate people through the Persian Gulf by ships or via Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Given these complex regional issues, India is using all its diplomatic contacts to safely bring its citizens home.
24×7 control room Contact details: 1800118797 (toll-free) +91-11-23012113 +91-11-23014104 +91-11-23017905 +91-9968291988 (Whatsapp); email: situationroom@mea.gov.in
