Indian students returning from Mashhad, Iran, as part of the government’s Operation Sindhu, exit the Indira Gandhi International Airport, in New Delhi, on June 21, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Indian Embassy in Iran has said that the embassy will make efforts to evacuate citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka. The embassy noted that the efforts will be made at the request of the Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka. “On request of the Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Indian Embassy’s evacuation efforts in Iran will also cover Citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka,” the Indian Embassy in Iran posted on X.
The Union Government has launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran, given the deteriorating situation as a result of the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.
Israel-Iran conflict live updates – June 21, 2025
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Saturday (June 21, 2025) that so far, 517 Indian nationals have returned to India from Iran under Operation Sindhu. Mr. Jaiswal stated that a special flight from Turkmenistan’s Ashgabat carrying Indians from Iran arrived in New Delhi on June 21, 2025. In a post on X, Mr. Jaiswal stated, “Operation Sindhu continues.”
“A special evacuation flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, landed in New Delhi at 03:00 hours on June 21, bringing Indians from Iran home. With this, so far 517 Indian nationals from Iran have returned home under Operation Sindhu.”
The conflict between Israel and Iran entered its ninth day on Saturday (June 21, 2025.) The conflict started after Israel, on June 13, launched a massive airstrike on Iranian military and nuclear sites, dubbed “Operation Rising Lion”.
In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a large-scale drone and missile operation, ‘Operation True Promise 3’, targeting Israeli fighter jet fuel production facilities and energy supply centres. It is pertinent to note that this is not the first time that the Union Government has launched an operation to evacuate citizens from another country.
Earlier in 2023, India launched Operation Kaveri to evacuate its citizens during violent military clashes in Sudan. India had launched Operation Ajay to evacuate Indian nationals from Israel during the Israel-Hamas conflict in 2023.
Operation Ganga was launched by the Union Government in 2022 to evacuate Indian nationals when war erupted between Russia and Ukraine. Earlier in 2021, the Union Government launched Operation Devi Shakti to evacuate Indian citizens from Afghanistan after Taliban takeover. India launched Operation Samudra Seta to evacuate Indians through sea during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
India launched Operation Raahat to evacuate citizens after civil conflict erupted in Yemen in 2015. Earlier in 2011, India launched Operation Safe Homecoming to evacuate Indian nationals during civil war in Arab Spring in Libya.
Published – June 21, 2025 12:16 pm IST
