People who were evacuated under Operation Sindhu landed at Delhi’s IGI airport in New Delhi on June 21, 2025. Photo: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap/The Hindu

A flight from Mashhad, Iran, carrying 290 Indian students, mostly from Jammu and Kashmir, landed at the Delhi Airport late Friday (June 20, 2025).

The Indian Government has launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate its nationals from the Middle Eastern country as hostilities escalate between Israel and Iran.

Israel-Iran conflict LIVE: Updates on June 20, 2025

Two more flights are scheduled to arrive later in the night, including one from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, around 3 am, bringing home around 1,000 Indian nationals.

“Heartfelt thanks to the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs, and all concerned authorities for their timely intervention and support. A great relief for families who had been anxiously awaiting their return,” the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association said in a statement.

In a special gesture, Iran opened its airspace to facilitate India’s evacuation efforts. Students were earlier moved to Mashhad from Tehran, and the flights operated by an Iranian airline were coordinated by Indian authorities.

The evacuation follows days of aerial bombardments and retaliatory strikes between Iran and Israel.

On Thursday (June 19, 2025), 110 Indian students were evacuated via Armenia and Doha before reaching Delhi.

The Ministry of External Affairs launched Operation Sindhu last week.

Published – June 21, 2025 02:23 am IST