Israel-Iran conflict: India launches ‘Operation Sindhu’ to evacuate citizens from war-hit Iran; 110 Indian students return via Armenia

NEW DELHI: As tensions escalate in the Middle East amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, the government of India has launched Operation Sindhu, a mission aimed at ensuring the safety and evacuation of Indian nationals from Iran.

In the first leg of the operation, 110 Indian students from northern Iran were successfully evacuated and transported by road to Yerevan, Armenia on June 17. The movement was closely coordinated by India’s missions in Tehran and Yerevan. These students departed from Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan on a special flight at 14:55 IST on June 18 and are scheduled to arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of June 19.


MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal tweeted, "Operation Sindhu begins. India launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran. India evacuated 110 students from northern Iran who crossed into Armenia under the supervision of our Missions in Iran and Armenia on 17th June. They departed from Yerevan on a special flight and will arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of 19th June 2025. India accords the highest priority to the safety and security of her nationals abroad."

The government also expressed gratitude to the governments of Iran and Armenia for their cooperation in facilitating the evacuation.


"As part of the ongoing operation, the Indian Embassy in Iran has been assisting large numbers of Indian nationals in moving from areas witnessing increased hostilities to relatively safer zones within the country, and subsequently facilitating their evacuation using feasible options," the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said in a press statement.

The MEA reaffirmed that India accords the highest priority to the safety and security of its nationals abroad, and urged those still in Iran to remain in touch with the Indian Embassy in Tehran and the MEA’s 24x7 Control Room in New Delhi.

Emergency contacts:

Emergency contact information

Embassy of India in Tehran

• Call only: +98 9128109115, +98 9128109109
• WhatsApp: +98 901044557, +98 9015993320, +91 8086871709
• Regional Contacts:
  • Bandar Abbas: +98 9177699036
  • Zahedan: +98 9396356649
• Email: cons.tehran@mea.gov.in

24x7 Control Room, MEA, New Delhi

• Toll-free: 800118797
• Landlines: +91-11-23012113, +91-11-23014104, +91-11-23017905
• WhatsApp: +91-9968291988
• Email: situationroom@mea.gov.in

Further stages of Operation Sindhu are expected to continue as the situation unfolds.