A total of 517 Indian nationals have been evacuated from Iran under Operation Sindhu, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday.
Jaiswal said a special flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, landed in New Delhi at 3 am on June 21. The operation was launched to bring Indian citizens home as tensions between Iran and Israel escalate.
“Operation Sindhu continues. A special evacuation flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, landed in New Delhi at 0300 hrs on 21st June, bringing Indians from Iran home. With this, so far 517 Indian nationals from Iran have returned,” Jaiswal posted on X.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran coordinated the safe return of students and other citizens, while the MEA oversaw the evacuation process. Several evacuees expressed relief upon arrival.
Zaffar Abbas Naqvi, who was evacuated with his family, said they had initially stayed indoors after hearing about the attack on Iran and later moved to Mashhad as the situation deteriorated.
“We then contacted the Indian government. The action was so swift that we cannot express our gratitude in words,” Naqvi said, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Kulsum, another evacuee, said, “The situation in Iran is not good. We were very worried. The government helped us a lot and brought us back home safely.”
Mohammad Ali Qazim, who had traveled to Mashhad on a religious trip, also thanked the Indian government for facilitating their safe return.
The first batch of 110 students — including 90 from Kashmir — was evacuated from northern Iran earlier this week and taken to Armenia before being flown to India.
The ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel began on June 13 after Israel conducted airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites under “Operation Rising Lion.” In retaliation, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched “Operation True Promise 3,” targeting Israeli fuel and energy centers.
The MEA said the operation would continue until all Indian nationals who wish to leave Iran have been safely repatriated.