Operation Sindhu:Over 500 Indians evacuated from conflict-hit Iran

Guwahati, June 21: More than 500 Indian nationals have returned home from Iran under Operation Sindhu so far, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday.

The MEA shared the update about the status of the evacuation operation in a post on a popular microblogging website.

More Indian nationals, including students, arrived in Delhi late Friday night and in the early hours of Saturday after being evacuated from Iran as its military confrontation with Israel intensified.

A special evacuation flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, landed in New Delhi in the early hours of June 21, bringing back Indian nationals from Iran as part of the ongoing Operation Sindhu.

Launched by the Indian government in response to escalating security concerns amid the Israel-Iran conflict, Operation Sindhu has facilitated the safe return of Indian citizens from the region.

Confirming the latest development, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted : “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 actively coordinating the ground-level movement of citizens, while the MEA is overseeing the overall evacuation effort. The most recent group of evacuees—comprising students and religious travellers—arrived in Delhi on Saturday, marking a rare diplomatic arrangement that allowed New Delhi to repatriate up to 1,000 Indians despite Iran’s airspace restrictions.

As the situation in the region remains tense, the Indian government has intensified its efforts to ensure the safety and swift return of its nationals through organised evacuation flights and cross-border coordination.

With inputs from PTI