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<p data-start="106" data-end="373"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday confirmed that evacuations under 'Operation Sindhu' are ongoing, with another flight expected to bring more Indian nationals home later in the day. The move comes amid escalating military tensions in the Middle East.</span></p>
<p data-start="375" data-end="767"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Earlier Thursday morning, a special IndiGo flight (6E 9487) carrying 110 Indian students from Urmia Medical University in Iran landed safely at Terminal 3 of Delhi&rsquo;s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh welcomed the evacuees and reassured that the government is committed to ensuring the safety of every Indian citizen in the region.</span></p>
<p data-start="769" data-end="979"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">"We&rsquo;re making every effort to ensure the safe return of all Indians from Iran. It's a major responsibility, and we have planes on standby to meet the evolving situation," said Singh while speaking to reporters.</span></p>
<p data-start="981" data-end="1146"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Over 350 evacuation requests have been received so far, and the MEA has set up 24-hour helplines in coordination with Indian missions abroad to assist those in need.</span></p>
<p data-start="1148" data-end="1348"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&ldquo;Today, another flight is set to evacuate citizens from Turkmenistan. Our missions remain on high alert, and as conditions change, more flights and chartered aircraft will be dispatched,&rdquo; Singh added.</span></p>
<p data-start="1350" data-end="1492"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">He also extended gratitude to the governments of Turkmenistan and Armenia for their assistance in providing safe transit for Indian nationals.</span></p>
<p data-start="1494" data-end="1821"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Among those returning were students who described the terrifying conditions they faced. Mir Salif, a medical student from Urmia, recalled:</span><br data-start="1632" data-end="1635"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&ldquo;At the time of war, when everything felt uncertain, our government and embassy gave us hope. When they came to our doors to take us home, I thought of my mother. I felt immense relief.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p data-start="1823" data-end="1984"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">He added, &ldquo;Missiles were falling around us. Our neighborhood was bombed. We didn&rsquo;t know what would happen next. I hope no one ever has to go through this again.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p data-start="1986" data-end="2127"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Another student shared how, after the closure of Iranian airspace, they were escorted across ground borders and then flown home within a day.</span></p>
<p data-start="2129" data-end="2303" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The MEA has reaffirmed its commitment to continuing evacuation operations as long as needed, with more charter flights in preparation to rescue Indians from affected regions.</span></p>
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110 Indians return from Iran as MEA intensifies Operation Sindhu amid escalating Middle East tensions

India Rescues Citizens Amid Iran Conflict

110 Indians return from Iran as MEA intensifies Operation Sindhu amid escalating Middle East tensions

June 19, 2025 | 11:16 IST