New Delhi, June 20: Iran has temporarily lifted airspace restrictions to allow three charter flights to evacuate nearly 1,000 Indian nationals, mostly students, stranded in Mashhad, following rising security concerns triggered by Israeli air strikes on Tehran.
The flights, operated by Iranian carrier Mahan Air, are part of Operation Sindhu, a coordinated evacuation effort launched by India on Wednesday to ensure the safe return of nationals from Iran and Israel.
Mohammad Javad Hosseini, deputy chief of mission at the Iranian embassy in New Delhi, said, “We consider Indians as our own people. They are like Iranians. Iran’s airspace is closed, but because of this issue, we are making arrangements to open it for the safe passage of Indian nationals.”
The first evacuation flight is scheduled to land in Delhi on Friday evening, with two more flights expected on Saturday. The evacuees were initially relocated from Tehran to Qom, and then moved to Mashhad as tensions escalated.
“All Indians in Iran are safe,” Hosseini said at a media briefing, while also confirming that a few Indian students were injured earlier this week when an Israeli airstrike struck a student dormitory in Tehran.
The diplomat added that Tehran remains in close coordination with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Tehran to ensure all evacuation logistics are handled swiftly. “We are arranging for the safe passage of Indians who want to leave via air or road through third countries, or directly from Iran,” he said.
In a parallel effort, 110 Indian students were brought home via Armenia, after being moved overland across the border.
According to Hosseini, approximately 10,000 Indians currently reside in Iran. While the majority remain safe, those wishing to return are being assisted through various evacuation channels.
More flights could be scheduled in the coming days depending on need, he confirmed, reaffirming Iran’s commitment to facilitating the safe departure of Indian citizens during the ongoing regional crisis.
