Kirti Vardhan Singh with evacuated students at Delhi airport (Photo: MEA)
New Delhi: As the conflict escalates between Tehran and Tel Aviv, India launched Operation Sindhu on Wednesday to evacuate its nationals from conflict-torn Iran, with the first batch of 110 students arriving safely here in the national capital.
The Ministry of External Affairs (foreign ministry) spokesman, Randhir Jaiswal, said the government had been taking several steps over recent days for the safety and security of Indian nationals in Iran amid the deteriorating situation resulting from the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.
The Indian embassy in Tehran evacuated 110 students from Urmia University and assisted them in crossing over to Yerevan, Armenia, via land routes on Tuesday.
Of the 110 students who landed at New Delhi airport on Thursday, 94 were from Jammu & Kashmir, while the remainder came from Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
At Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, the minister of state for external affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, received them alongside the students' families.
Singh said more people were being evacuated.
“Operation Sindhu brings people home," Jaiswal wrote on social media platform X. “110 Indian students evacuated from Iran under Operation Sindhu have safely arrived in New Delhi on a special flight from Yerevan, Armenia. The minister of state received them at the airport. The government of India remains committed to the safety of Indian nationals abroad.”
The foreign ministry spokesman expressed gratitude 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,” Jaiswal said.
As part of the ongoing operation, the Indian embassy in Iran has been assisting large numbers of Indian nationals in moving from areas experiencing increased hostilities to relatively safer areas within the country and subsequently evacuating them using 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 24-hour control room established by the foreign ministry in New Delhi.
Emergency Helpline numbers of the India embassy in Tehran:
i. For call only
+98 9128109115
+98 9128109109
ii. For WhatsApp
+98 901044557
+98 9015993320
+91 8086871709
iii. Bandar Abbas
+98 9177699036
iv. Zahedan
+98 9396356649
v. Email – [email protected]
Helpline numbers of 24/7 control room set up by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi:
800118797 (Toll free)
+91-11-23012113
+91-11-23014104
+91-11-23017905
WhatsApp: +91-9968291988
Email – [email protected]
