India launches Op Sindhu to evacuate nationals from Iran; first flight takes off
NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate its nationals from Iran following the deterioration of the security situation due to conflict with Israel, even as reports emerged that some Indian students were injured in an Israeli strike on a students' dormitory in Tehran.
As the first step under the operation, the Indian embassy in Tehran evacuated 110 Indian students from northern Iran and helped them cross over to Armenia by road on June 17, the external affairs ministry said in a statement. These students, a majority of them from Jammu and Kashmir, travelled to the Armenian capital of Yerevan and then left for India on a special flight on Wednesday afternoon.
'The government of India is grateful to the governments of Iran and Armenia for the smooth facilitation of the evacuation process,' the statement said.
Around 600 Indian students have also been relocated from Tehran to Qom, people familiar with the matter said. This was done because of intense Israeli air strikes and bombings targeting Tehran over the past few days, they said.
The Indian government is taking various steps for the safety and security of Indian nationals in Iran in view of the deteriorating situation as a result of the conflict between Iran and Israel, the statement said.
Officials of the Iranian embassy in New Delhi said about five foreign students, including some Indians, were injured when an Israeli air strike hit a medical students' dormitory on Keshavarz Street in Tehran over the weekend. The dormitory had a sizeable number of Kashmiri students.
'After the injuries of Indian students due to the attack of the regime [on] Indian students' hostel, Iran's ministry of foreign affairs was in close touch with the embassy of India in Tehran, and the MFA and other related ministries and authorities did everything…possible to facilitate the evacuation, relocation and transportation of the said students,' the Iranian embassy said in a message posted on its Telegram channel.
Indian nationals in Tehran with access to transport have also been advised to move out of the city in view of the developing situation.
The external affairs ministry said that as part of the ongoing operation, the Indian embassy in Tehran has assisted 'large numbers of Indian nationals in moving from areas seeing increased hostilities to relatively safer areas within the country and to subsequently evacuate them using the available and feasible options'.
Indian nationals in Iran have been advised to stay in touch with the Indian embassy in Tehran through its emergency helpline, and with the 24x7 control room established by the external affairs ministry in New Delhi.
According to the latest figures from Iranian authorities, there are around 10,000 Indian nationals in Iran, most of them students enrolled in universities, professional courses and religious institutions.
Israel and Iran have fired hundreds of missiles and drones at each other's cities and military and strategic facilities since hostilities erupted over the weekend. Israel said on Wednesday it struck 40 sites in Iran, including centrifuge production and weapons facilities, while Iran launched a wave of drones at Israel.
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