In special gesture, Iran opens its embattled airspace to allow flights carrying 1,000 Indians home
Amidst escalating conflict and continuing airstrikes by Israel, the Iranian government said on Friday (June 20, 2025) that it had agreed to open its otherwise closed airspace to facilitate chartered flights carrying about 1,000 Indian nationals back to India.
The returning Indians, including students, professionals and tourists will travel in three or more flights operated by an Iranian airline company and organised by the Indian Embassy in Tehran. They will fly from Mashaad near the Iran-Uzbekistan border to Delhi, with the first flight arriving on Friday night, and others on Saturday and Sunday as required, Iran's Acting Ambassador said at a press conference in Delhi. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that another chartered flight would bring over Indians who have already crossed over to Turkmenistan, and will fly from Ashgabat on Friday.
Israel-Iran conflict updates: June 20, 2025
'The airspace is closed because of this issue [conflict with Israel] but we are making arrangements to open it for the safe passage of Indians, and we are doing our best to send Indian nationals wanting to leave, back safely,' said Mohammad Javed Hossaini, the Deputy Chief of Mission officiating. He added that most of the 10,000 Indians in Iran have not been harmed by Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks over the past week, other than a few who were injured during a strike that hit a college hostel in Tehran.
'Condemn aggressions'
Mr. Hossaini called on India to join the international community, especially countries of the Global South, to pressure Israel to stop its aerial bombardment that entered an eighth day on Friday. Not 'condemning' the Israeli government for its actions would 'incentivise' other countries to carry out unilateral actions, he warned.
'We believe every country, including India, should condemn these aggressions, not because of Iran or because of this conflict, but because there are other also countries who in their mind [want] to attack a neighbour over baseless allegations. If you don't condemn it [Israel's actions], you are giving them incentive,' he said, citing Israel's previous attacks on Lebanon and Syria in 2024.
Iran's 'expectation is more'
The MEA has only issued one statement on the conflict so far, although it has commented separately on evacuation plans for Indians from Iran and Israel. In its June 14 statement, India had expressed 'deep concern' about the strikes, called for 'dialogue and diplomacy' to discuss de-escalating the conflict, and said it was monitoring the situation, especially the 'reports related to attacks on nuclear sites'. The statement did not criticise either side.
India has disassociated itself from a statement by the Russia and China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that includes Iran, which criticised Israel for its 'aggression'. In its statement, the MEA said that India was not a part of the negotiations on the SCO release. When asked, Mr. Hosseini denied that Iran was 'disappointed' by India's move. 'We understand India's position, but of course, our expectation is more,' he said.
Wider impact
Responding to a question from The Hindu, Mr. Hosseini did not rule out the possibility of Iran closing the Straits of Hormuz as a pressure tactic if the conflict continued. Such a move would disrupt travel and trade across the region. He expressed hope that negotiations, slated between Iran and the E3- European countries for Friday, would help ease the situation. On the impact of the conflict on India's port project in Chabahar, the envoy said that it was a matter for the whole region, not just the project.
'If the situation escalates, it will affect many things — the flow of the oil, shipments, commodities going through these channels, they will all be affected,' he said, noting that a prolonged Israel-Iran war would impact both the region and the world.
Retaliatory attacks
Over the past week, Israeli jets have bombed Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, Fordow, and the Arak heavy water facility, which was bombed on Thursday night. In retaliation for the attacks, Tehran has sent waves of missiles that have pierced Israel's 'Iron Dome', targeting military sites in Tel Aviv and across the country.
Mr. Hosseini denied Israel's accusation that Iranian forces had deliberately struck a hospital in Be'er Sheva, saying that the hospital had suffered some impact due to an Iranian strike on a military technology facility nearby.
The Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv is working on a plan to evacuate Indians wishing to leave Israel, via the land routes to Jordan and Egypt, the MEA had said on Thursday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
20 minutes ago
- NDTV
Over 650 Iranian Military Personnel, Civilians Killed In Israeli Strikes
Tehran: A US-based NGO said Friday that Israel's strikes against Iran have killed at least 657 people including civilians and members of the security forces, a toll based on sources and reports in Iran. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said that at least 263 civilians had been killed nationwide since Israel began its strikes on June 13. Among these, it said it had verified the identities of more than 20 children who have been killed, mostly in Tehran. It added that 164 members of the military had also been killed. The overall death toll includes 230 people who HRANA was unable to determine whether they were civilians or members of the security forces. More than 2,000 members of the security forces and civilians had been wounded as of early Friday, it added. The group said strikes had taken place in 21 of Iran's 31 provinces. HRANA is part of the Human Rights Activists NGO, which was set up inside Iran in 2005 but later shifted to the United States in the face of repression from the Iranian authorities. It publishes dozens of reports a day, outlining human rights violations inside Iran. Israel said its campaign was aimed at halting Tehran from obtaining an atomic bomb, an ambition Iran denies having. Iranian authorities said Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then. Iranian strikes launched in response have also caused damage in Israel, where at least 25 people have been killed and hundreds wounded, according to the authorities.
India Today
39 minutes ago
- India Today
5.5-magnitude quake rattles northern Iran amid Israel war
Iranian authorities have confirmed that a magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck near the city of Sorkheh in Semnan Province late Friday evening. The tremor occurred at 9:19 PM local time on June to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the quake struck at a moderately shallow depth of 35 km beneath the epicentre near quake was felt in several parts of northern Iran, with no confirmed reports of injuries or major The earthquakes come as Iran remains on alert due to its escalating conflict with Israel, following a series of tit-for-tat military strikes and cyber operations. The conflict has also led to the mobilisation of Iranian military units in several regions, including areas near the quake zone.
India Today
40 minutes ago
- India Today
Ground report: Iran launches 35 missiles at Israel, roads deserted in Tel Aviv
5:24 As the Israel-Iran conflict escalates, India Today's Shivani Sharma spoke to residents in Tel Aviv about how the attacks have affected their lives.
