Iran makes an exception, opens airspace for evacuation of Indian students

Iran has decided to open its airspace to facilitate the evacuation of Indian students. An Iranian carrier will bring 1,000 Indian students back to Delhi. 

The first flight, carrying the stranded students, will land in Delhi tonight. The students will be brought by Mahan Air flights. "We have scheduled these chartered flights for the Indians those who want to get out," it said.

India on Wednesday announced the launch of 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran amid ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. Reports emerged of some Indian students being injured in a strike on a medical students' dormitory in the Keshavarz street area of Tehran. Iranian embassy officials in Delhi stated that the Iranian foreign ministry is in close contact with the Indian mission in Tehran following the incident. 

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India gives the highest priority to the safety and security of its nationals abroad. More than 4,000 Indian nationals reside in Iran, with about half being students. The MEA added that the Indian embassy in Tehran evacuated 110 Indian students from northern Iran, helping them cross safely into Armenia on Tuesday. The students travelled by road to Yerevan, the Armenian capital, under the supervision of Indian missions in Iran and Armenia.

These students left Yerevan on a special flight at 1455 hours on June 18 as part of the initial phase of Operation Sindhu, the MEA said.

New Delhi expressed gratitude to the governments of Iran and Armenia for facilitating the evacuation process smoothly. Due to the worsening situation from the Iran-Israel conflict, India has been taking various measures over the past days to ensure the safety of Indian nationals in Iran.

The MEA said the Indian embassy in Iran has been helping many Indian nationals move from areas experiencing increased hostilities to safer locations within the country and then evacuate them using available options.

Indian nationals in Iran are advised to stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Tehran through its emergency helpline and with the 24x7 Control Room established by the MEA in New Delhi.