110 Indian students evacuated from Iran

As many as 110 Indian students evacuated from northern Iran will arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of Thursday as India launched 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate its nationals from the warzone.
'The Indian embassy has evacuated 110 Indian students from northern Iran, assisting them in safely crossing over into Armenia on 17th June 2025. The students have travelled by road to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, under the supervision of our Missions in Iran and Armenia. These students departed Yerevan on a special flight at 1455 hrs on 18th June 2025 and will arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of 19th June 2025 as part of the initial stages of Operation Sindhu,' read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday.
This is part of the many steps that the government has taken over the last several days for the safety and security of Indian nationals stuck in Iran and called for help in view of the deteriorating situation due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. The government of India said that it is grateful to the governments of Iran and Armenia for the smooth facilitation of the evacuation process.
'India accords highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad. As part of the ongoing operation, the Indian Embassy in Iran has been assisting 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,' the MEA stated. The MEA advised Indian nationals in Iran to stay in touch with the Indian Embassy in Tehran through its emergency helpline, and with the 24x7 Control Room established by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
The safe evacuation of over 100 Indian students stuck in Iran's war-hit zones has once again proved that India remains a leader in providing unwavering support to its nationals during their times of need.
From relocating them to safer places in Iran to engaging with local community leaders regarding their welfare and safety and then eventually making many of them safely cross the border to reach Armenia before flying back home, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was yet again working in a mission mode to ensure the well-being of Indian citizens caught in a desperate situation.
Analysts reckon that India's approach to foreign policy over the past 11 years has not only been marked by diplomacy and dialogue, but also by decisive action when the safety of its citizens abroad was at stake.
Indo-Asian News Service

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Gulf Today

9 hours ago

• Gulf Today

Maersk halts stops in Israel's Haifa due to Iran-Israel conflict

Danish shipping giant Maersk announced on Friday that it was temporarily suspending vessel calls in Israel's Haifa port due to the country's conflict with Iran. Maersk said it made the decision after "careful analysis of threat risk reports in the context of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, specifically regarding the potential risks of calling Israeli ports and the ensuing implications for the safety of our vessel crews". "At the moment we are not experiencing further disruptions to our scheduled operations in the region," it added in a statement. The conflict erupted a week ago when Israel launched air strikes on Iran, saying its arch foe was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. The Danish company said it had not experienced any further disruptions to its scheduled operations in the region. Haifa port, which was privatized in 2022, is owned 70% by India's Adani Ports while the remaining 30% is held by Israel's Gadot Group. Adani Ports is the ports operating arm of Adani Group, led by billionaire Gautam Adani. Including Haifa port, the company operates four ports outside Indian waters. A spokesperson for the Adani Group did not immediately respond to Reuters' email and text messages requesting comment. Israel has been hitting Iran from the air since last Friday in what it describes as an effort to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and has retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel. On Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched combined missile and drone attacks at military and industrial sites linked to Israel's defence industry in Haifa and Tel Aviv. Agencies

Khaleej Times

11 hours ago

• Khaleej Times

India to evacuate more citizens from Iran as part of 'Operation Sindhu'

Amidst the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, India is evacuating more citizens from Iran as part of 'Operation Sindhu.' According to Indian news agency ANI, two flights are scheduled to arrive in New Delhi, the country's capital, on Friday night. The agency, which quoted sources, said the first flight is expected to land in the Indian capital around 11.30pm (10pm UAE time), and the second flight will arrive around 3am (1.30am UAE time. The first flight will come from Mashhad, and the second flight will be coming from Ashgabat. On June 17, India had evacuated 110 students from northern Iran, the Ministry of External Affairs had said. 'Operation Sindhu' is the third such mission launched by India to evacuate citizens from conflict zones. Previously, India has undertaken Operation Ganga in 2022 to evacuate nationals from Ukraine and Operation Kaveri (Sudan) in 2023. 300 to 400 students fromJammu and Kashmir Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah provided an update on the evacuation of Indian students, mostly from the valley, stranded in Iran, emphasising the use of land routes to Armenia for their safe return. He said over 300 to 400 students are expected to reach safer zones by Friday, from where they will be repatriated to India via Armenia. He stated, "We cannot evacuate them overnight because no airports are open, no ports are operational. We are first bringing them by road to cities where there is no bombing, and from there, efforts are being made to bring them back to India via Armenia. Today (Friday), we expect around 300 to 400 more students to arrive, most of whom are from Jammu and Kashmir. We will bring them back home safely, and there is a sense of hope all around," he told ANI.

Middle East Eye

11 hours ago

• Middle East Eye

Armenia's Pashinyan makes history with first official visit to Turkey

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made history on Friday by becoming the country's first leader since the Cold War to pay an official visit to Turkey. Pashinyan is meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, raising hopes that the two countries may soon normalise relations. Turkey broke off diplomatic ties with Armenia in 1993, following Armenian forces' occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh. While Pashinyan attended Erdogan's presidential inauguration in June 2023 and the two leaders have met at several international summits since then, this marks his first official visit to Turkey. According to a statement from the Turkish presidency, the trip is considered a 'working visit'. Both foreign ministers and special envoys for normalisation are also attending, allowing the delegations to discuss every aspect of the bilateral relationship. A senior Armenian diplomat told Middle East Eye that Erdogan extended the invitation to Pashinyan after a phone call earlier this month in which the Armenian prime minister congratulated the Turkish president on the occasion of Eid al-Adha. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'They had a good conversation,' the diplomat said. 'The invitation was later formalised through diplomatic channels.' The diplomat described the visit as historic, crediting the positive momentum to the two leaders' commitment to keeping communication channels open and 'patiently demonstrating leadership'. To prepare for the visit, Deputy Armenian Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan travelled to Ankara on Monday to review key issues. Speaking in Prague earlier this week, Pashinyan mentioned the improvement in Turkish-Armenian relations, noting that, unlike three years ago, the two countries can now communicate directly rather than relying on third-party intermediaries. Overcoming historic and regional tensions Tensions between Turkey and Armenia extend beyond the issue of Azerbaijan, a close Turkish ally and arch-rival of Yerevan. After a bloody six-week war in late 2020, Azerbaijan launched a military operation in September 2023 to take back the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, resulting in a ceasefire agreement. Most ethnic Armenians fled, and Artsakh, the breakaway region, was officially dissolved on 1 January 2024. The tensions are also rooted in the events of 1915, when hundreds of thousands of Armenians died after the Ottoman Empire ordered their deportation from Anatolia. Armenian leaders and much of the international community regard this as genocide and say 1.5 million were killed, while Ankara maintains the deaths occurred amid the chaos of World War I, with losses on both sides. Nonetheless, Pashinyan has recently downplayed this issue, expressing his desire to establish good neighbourly relations with Turkey, end Armenia's isolation and restore commercial and full diplomatic ties. The timing of Pashinyan's visit is also significant, coming amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran - neighbours to both Turkey and Armenia. 'But this conflict makes dialogue even more pertinent,' the Armenian official said. Turkey's last Armenian village struggles to survive after earthquake Read More » In March, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on a draft peace treaty, but Baku has continued to make additional demands and has pressured Ankara not to implement some of the confidence-building measures agreed with Yerevan in 2023. One such measure was the agreement to open the Alican-Margara border crossing to third-country nationals and diplomatic passport holders. Armenia has completed its side of the renovations, but Turkey has yet to take concrete steps to implement the agreement. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan is insisting that Armenia amend its constitution - which currently references Nagorno-Karabakh - before signing a peace agreement. Pashinyan has signaled a willingness to consider constitutional changes, but insists this should not delay the peace process. He has also stated his intention to sign a peace deal with Azerbaijan by the end of the year. Turkish officials told MEE they see Pashinyan as a 'visionary' leader seeking long-term stability for Armenia by resolving longstanding disputes with Turkey and Azerbaijan. Some in Ankara even suggest that Baku should be more receptive to Pashinyan's overtures and avoid maximalist positions, especially given the uncertainty of his political future with general elections looming next year. Pashinyan's visit comes immediately after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's trip to Turkey - a timing that has not gone unnoticed. On Thursday, Erdogan and Aliyev inaugurated a permanent housing development called 'Azerbaijan Neighbourhood' in the southern city of Kahramanmaras, built for the victims of the 2023 earthquakes.