Finance
Amid rising tensions between Iran and Israel, India has begun ‘Operation Sindhu’ to bring back Indian students who have been stuck in Iran.
According to an official announcement from the Ministry of External Affairs, around 110 students have been evacuated from northern Iran. These students were ordered to cross into Armenia and be brought back to New Delhi.
“India launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran. India evacuated 110 students from northern Iran who crossed into Armenia under the supervision of our Missions in Iran and Armenia on 17th June. They departed from Yerevan on a special flight and will arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of 19th June 2025,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
Iran has around 4,000 Indian nationals, half of them are students. Many of the students are from Jammu and Kashmir and are studying medicine or other professions.
According to MEA, the first flight of Indian students has departed from Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport and is expected to arrive in India in the early hours of Thursday, June 19.
This is not the first time the Indian government has conducted a special evacuation operation to bring home Indians stranded in conflict zones.
In 2023, the Indian government initiated Operation Ajay, which intended to bring back Indians who had become stranded in Israel after the battle with Hamas.
A similar operation, Operation Ganga, was undertaken in 2022 to bring Indian students back from Ukraine. The operation began when the Russia-Ukraine war broke out.
Source: HT
