Nearly 517 Indian nationals have so far returned to India from Iran under Operation Sindhu, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Saturday.
A special evacuation flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, landed in Delhi in the early hours of June 21, bringing home Indian nationals from Iran as part of Operation Sindhu.
The ongoing evacuation exercise was launched by the Indian government following rising security risks due to the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Jaiswal confirmed the latest arrival in a post on X. “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 home under Operation Sindhu,” he posted.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran has been coordinating the movement of citizens on the ground, while the MEA is overseeing their return to India. A fresh group of evacuees, including students and religious travellers, reached Delhi on Saturday as Iran makes a rare exception for New Delhi to evacuate 1,000 Indians amid its airspace closure.
Also Read: Iran makes an exception, opens airspace to facilitate evacuation of 1,000 Indian students
India’s Operation Sindhu has now brought back over 500 citizens from conflict-hit Iran. With the situation on the ground growing volatile, the government has stepped up efforts to ensure the safety of its nationals through organised evacuation flights and cross-border movement.
Among those who returned was Zaffar Abbas Naqvi, who described how the situation escalated suddenly. “Everything was going fine, but one day we heard that Iran had been attacked. We stayed indoors for some time. We then moved to Mashhad. Soon Mashhad came under attack. We then contacted the Indian government. The action was so swift that we cannot express our gratitude in words. I want to thank Modi ji and Yogi ji who made all the arrangements for us,” Naqvi was quoted as saying by ANI.
Kulsum, another Indian national who returned safely, said the situation was tense in Iran. “The situation in Iran is not good. We were very worried. The government helped us a lot and brought us back home safely,” she said while speaking to ANI.
Earlier, the first batch of evacuees, 110 Indian students, including 90 from Jammu and Kashmir, was transported out of northern Iran to Armenia, before being flown to New Delhi. Most of the students were enrolled at Urmia Medical University.
The evacuation continues as the Israel-Iran conflict entered its ninth day on Saturday. The fighting began on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iranian military and nuclear installations in what it called “Operation Rising Lion.” In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched “Operation True Promise 3,” targeting Israeli energy infrastructure with missiles and drones.
(With ANI inputs)
A special evacuation flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, landed in Delhi in the early hours of June 21, bringing home Indian nationals from Iran as part of Operation Sindhu.
The ongoing evacuation exercise was launched by the Indian government following rising security risks due to the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Jaiswal confirmed the latest arrival in a post on X. “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 home under Operation Sindhu,” he posted.
#OperationSindhu continues.
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) June 21, 2025
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 home under Operation Sindhu. pic.twitter.com/xYfpoxwJtw
The Indian Embassy in Tehran has been coordinating the movement of citizens on the ground, while the MEA is overseeing their return to India. A fresh group of evacuees, including students and religious travellers, reached Delhi on Saturday as Iran makes a rare exception for New Delhi to evacuate 1,000 Indians amid its airspace closure.
Also Read: Iran makes an exception, opens airspace to facilitate evacuation of 1,000 Indian students
India’s Operation Sindhu has now brought back over 500 citizens from conflict-hit Iran. With the situation on the ground growing volatile, the government has stepped up efforts to ensure the safety of its nationals through organised evacuation flights and cross-border movement.
Among those who returned was Zaffar Abbas Naqvi, who described how the situation escalated suddenly. “Everything was going fine, but one day we heard that Iran had been attacked. We stayed indoors for some time. We then moved to Mashhad. Soon Mashhad came under attack. We then contacted the Indian government. The action was so swift that we cannot express our gratitude in words. I want to thank Modi ji and Yogi ji who made all the arrangements for us,” Naqvi was quoted as saying by ANI.
Kulsum, another Indian national who returned safely, said the situation was tense in Iran. “The situation in Iran is not good. We were very worried. The government helped us a lot and brought us back home safely,” she said while speaking to ANI.
Earlier, the first batch of evacuees, 110 Indian students, including 90 from Jammu and Kashmir, was transported out of northern Iran to Armenia, before being flown to New Delhi. Most of the students were enrolled at Urmia Medical University.
The evacuation continues as the Israel-Iran conflict entered its ninth day on Saturday. The fighting began on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iranian military and nuclear installations in what it called “Operation Rising Lion.” In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched “Operation True Promise 3,” targeting Israeli energy infrastructure with missiles and drones.
(With ANI inputs)
You may also like
Bihar elections: 'JDU tickets will be distributed by Amit Shah,' says RJD's Tejashwi Yadav; terms NDA 'copycat' over pension scheme
Meghan's work for her family praised but expert questions 'what is Harry doing?'
AIADMK's Edappadi Palaniswami To Launch Statewide Campaign From Coimbatore As AIADMK Gears Up For 2026 Tamil Nadu Polls
Delhi weather: Sudden rain brings relief to capital; IMD issues yellow alert
For me, director Bala's 'Nandha' means 'Chinna Thaayaval', says actor Vinoth Kishen
