In a significant development, Iran on Friday opened its otherwise closed airspace exclusively for India to facilitate the return of the stranded students. At least 1,000 Indian students stranded in various Iranian cities are expected to land in Delhi in the next two days as part of the government's emergency evacuation programme, Operation Sindhu.
First flight expected to land in Delhi on Friday night
While the first flight is expected to land in Delhi at 11:00 PM IST on Friday, the other second and third flights are scheduled for Saturday, one in the morning and another in the evening.
It should be noted that the Iranian airspace is closed to most international flights amid ongoing missile exchanges and drone attacks between Israeli and Iranian forces. In the meantime, India has been granted an exclusive corridor to carry out the evacuation of its students from the war-torn country.
More than 4,000 Indian nationals are living in Iran and half of them are students.
India launches 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate nationals from Iran
India on Wednesday announced launching 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran as the Persian Gulf nation's conflict with Israel showed no sign of letting up. Moreover, the Iranian embassy officials in Delhi said the Iranian foreign ministry was in close touch with the Indian mission in Tehran after some students were injured.
"India accords highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
The MEA added that the Indian embassy in Tehran has evacuated 110 Indian students from northern Iran, assisting them in safely crossing over into Armenia on Tuesday.
Students travel by road to Armenian capital
The students have travelled by road to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, under the supervision of the Indian missions in Iran and Armenia.
"These students departed Yerevan on a special flight at 1455 hours on June 18 and will arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of June 19 as part of the initial stages of Operation Sindhu," the MEA said.
New Delhi said it is grateful to the governments of Iran and Armenia for the smooth facilitation of the evacuation process.
In view of the deteriorating situation as a result of the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, India has been taking various steps over the last several days for the safety and security of Indian nationals in Iran.
"As part of the ongoing operation, the Indian embassy in Iran has been assisting large numbers of Indian nationals in moving from areas seeing increased hostilities to relatively safer areas within the country and to subsequently evacuate them using the available and feasible options," the MEA said.
"Indian nationals in Iran are advised to stay in touch with the Indian Embassy in Tehran through its emergency helpline, and with the 24x7 Control Room established by the MEA in New Delhi," it said.
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