New Delhi: A special IndiGo flight carrying 110 Indian students from Iran landed at Delhi International Airport in the early hours of Thursday.
The students were brought under ‘Operation Sindhu’, India’s emergency evacuation initiative in response to the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the Middle East.
The students, all enrolled at Urmia Medical University in northern Iran, were safely moved to Armenia by road before being flown to India. The evacuation, coordinated by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in collaboration with Indian missions in Iran and Armenia, comes as tensions between Israel and Iran continue to intensify for a sixth consecutive day, marked by ongoing drone and missile exchanges.
The operation is part of a broader plan to safeguard Indian nationals as the geopolitical situation in the region worsens. Reports suggest that more than 13,000 Indian students, primarily studying medicine, are currently residing in Iran. As regional hostilities escalate, families of students have been appealing to Indian authorities for swift action to ensure their safety.
Operation Sindhu begins 🇮🇳.
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… pic.twitter.com/8WJom7wh5f
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) June 18, 2025
The Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association extended gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for their prompt response and humanitarian efforts.
Operation Sindhu reflects India’s proactive diplomatic and logistical coordination in crisis zones. The successful evacuation of students from a conflict-affected region underscores the government’s commitment to citizen welfare overseas.
This is not the first time India has conducted such missions. Similar operations, including ‘Operation Ganga’ during the Russia-Ukraine war and ‘Operation Kaveri’ amid the Sudan crisis have reinforced India’s reputation for executing swift and large-scale evacuations in times of global unrest.
Further evacuations under Operation Sindhu are expected in the coming days, as the government continues to assess the situation and extend assistance to remaining Indian nationals in Iran.
