1,000 Indians to Be Evacuated in 3 Flights as Iran Eases Airspace Restrictions

Iran has relaxed airspace restrictions for three charter flights carrying about 1,000 Indian nationals, who had been moved to a safer location from Tehran, to evacuate them from Iran, and there may be additional flights in the upcoming days for others who want to return to India, a senior diplomat from Iran said on Friday.

India started Operation Sindhu on Wednesday to evacuate Indians from Iran and Israel in the event of escalation of hostilities between the two countries. Indian authorities initially decided to try and move Indian nationals to a third country via land border crossings - in the case of Iran it would be Armenia, and in the case of Israel, Egypt and Jordan - before making flights to take them back to their home country.

Also Read: Sonam Raghuvanshi’s Call History to ‘Sanjay Verma’ (Raj Kushwaha) Becomes Lead in Honeymoon Murder Case

Mohammad Javad Hosseini, the deputy chief of mission at the Iranian embassy, “Iran’s airspace is closed, but because of this issue, we are making arrangements to open it for the safe passage of [Indian nationals, ”told reporters on Friday.

A group of 110 Indian students, who had been moved from Tehran to Qom, and then via land border crossing to Armenia, returned to New Delhi on a flight from Yerevan on Thursday.

When the hostilities erupted over the weekend following air strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities by Israel, there were approximately 10,000 Indians in Iran, many of whom were students. India has deliberately refrained to issue advisories asking its citizens to leave either Iran or Israel, but has cautioned nationals in both countries to exercise vigilance and to limit their movement. Indian authorities have also advised Indian citizens to get out of Tehran.

Also Read: Israel–Iran Air War Enters Second Week as Europe Urges Diplomatic De-escalation

Hosseini said that all Indians in Iran are safe, aside from some seriously injured from an Israeli air strike at a students’ dormitory in Tehran over the weekend. The dormitory housed a large number of Kashmiri students.

About three Indian students suffered shrapnel injuries from the attack.

The Indian government has expressed its gratitude to the Iran and Armenia governments for their assistance in the evacuation effort. The Indian embassy at Tehran has assisted many Indians movement from areas of increased hostility in Iran to a relative safety within Iran. Indian citizens in Iran have also been urged to keep in contact with the Indian embassy through its emergency helpline, as well as and through 24x7 control room which the external affairs ministry has set up in new Delhi.

Since hostilities began, Israel and Iran have fired hundreds of missiles and drones at each other’s cities and their military and strategic processes. The conflicts continued on Friday for the eighth day, with the Israeli military continuing to target military processes in central and western Iran.

Also Read: Indian Student Tanya Tyagi Dies Suddenly in Canada; Cause of Death Unclear