All Indians to be fully evacuated from Iran

NEW DELHI: India has decided to evacuate all its citizens — including students, pilgrims, and tourists — from Iran under Operation Sindhu. Over a thousand people have already been evacuated. Sri Lankan and Nepalese nationals are also being assisted in the evacuation, coordinated by the Indian Embassy in Tehran.

The decision to carry out a full evacuation of Indian citizens was made after Iran reopened its airspace. The Indian Embassy accepted requests from Sri Lanka and Nepal to help evacuate their citizens as well. People have been advised to contact the embassy through its Telegram channel or helpline. Nepal’s Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba thanked India for the assistance.

Two more flights carrying Indian evacuees from Iran arrived yesterday. One Mahan Air flight landed in Delhi at 4:30 PM with 310 passengers, including 256 students — most of them from Kashmir. The second flight landed in Delhi at 11:30 PM.

Another flight carrying Indians from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan — where they had been transported from Iran — arrived early yesterday morning. It included 190 students and several pilgrims returning from Iran.

On Friday night, a special flight with 290 students from Mahad, Iran, landed in Delhi. Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arun Kumar Chatterjee, welcomed the passengers.

As of yesterday evening, a total of 827 Indian citizens had returned from Iran under Operation Sindhu, according to External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. The Indian Embassy in Tehran is leading and coordinating the evacuation efforts.