In a significant humanitarian effort, India has successfully evacuated 827 of its nationals from Iran amid intensifying hostilities between Tehran and Tel Aviv. A special flight carrying 310 Indian students from Mashhad, Iran, landed safely in Delhi on Saturday, offering relief and joy to families who had been anxiously awaiting their return.
Under Operation Sindhu, a coordinated initiative launched by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), special flights have been deployed to ensure the safe return of Indian citizens, many of whom are students and religious pilgrims.
Another evacuation flight from Mashhad landed in New Delhi at 1630 hrs on 21 June with 310 Indian nationals from Iran.
With this, a total of 827 Indians have been evacuated. pic.twitter.com/C1w8aVNWOs
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) June 21, 2025
The operation was closely supervised by Indian authorities, with active support from the Indian Embassy in Tehran and coordination with Iranian officials. Notably, in a gesture of cooperation, Iran opened its airspace on June 20 to facilitate India’s evacuation mission. Many of the evacuees had first been moved from Tehran to Mashhad before boarding the rescue flights operated by an Iranian airline.
Earlier on Friday, a flight from Mashhad carrying 290 Indian students—most of them from Jammu and Kashmir—also landed at Delhi Airport. The arrival was marked by emotional reunions and expressions of gratitude from the returnees, many of whom had faced days of uncertainty amid the escalating crisis.
Earlier evacuations took place via Armenia and Doha, with a group of 110 students reaching Delhi on Thursday (June 19). Upon arrival, all health and immigration protocols were followed, and necessary support was provided at the airport.
The evacuations come in the wake of a spiraling conflict between Iran and Israel, now entering its second week. Days of aerial bombardments and retaliatory missile strikes have left hundreds dead across both nations, prompting multiple countries to begin pulling their citizens out of the region.
