Israel-Iran Conflict: Flight carrying 110 Indian students evacuated from war-torn Iran lands in Delhi

Israel-Iran Conflict: The first flight carrying about 110 students, who were evacuated to Armenia from war-torn Iran, landed in Delhi in the early hours on June 19.

Indian students in Tehran were moved out of the city, 110 of them crossing the border into Armenia, through arrangements made by the Indian Embassy on June 17 under ‘Operation Sindhu’ amid escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

Most of these students are from Jammu and Kashmir. The J&K Students' Association thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for launching the evacuation effort.

The association said in a statement, "We remain hopeful that all remaining students will be evacuated soon. "

The evacuated students travelled from northern Iran by road to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, under the supervision of Indian missions in Iran and Armenia. After reaching the Armenian capital, the students soon departed Yerevan on a special flight at 2:45 pm on June 18. They arrived in New Delhi in the early hours of June 19 as part of the initial stages of Operation Sindhu, the MEA said.

Israel-Iran Conflict: What do we know so far?

The deadly conflict between Iran and Israel entered its sixth day on June 18, with both sides widening their attacks. 

Israeli strikes on Iran have so far killed at least 639 people and wounded 1,329 others, a human rights group was quoted as saying by news agency AP.

On Wednesday, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected US calls for surrender in the face of more Israeli strikes. Khamenei, instead, warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause ‘irreparable damage to them.’

European diplomats are expected to hold talks with Iran on Friday.

The second public appearance by Khamenei since the Israeli strikes came as Israel lifted some restrictions on daily life, suggesting that the missile threat from Iran was easing.

Khamenei spoke a day after US President Donald Trump demanded in a social media post that Iran surrender without conditions and warned Khamenei that the US knows where he is but has no plans to kill him, ‘at least not for now.’

Trump initially distanced himself from Israel’s surprise attack aimed at Iran’s nuclear program, but in recent days he has hinted at greater American involvement, saying he wants something ‘much bigger’ than a ceasefire. The US has also sent more military aircraft and warships to the region, the news agency AP reported.

Some students' parents were seen anxiously waiting outside the airport for their children. Haider Ali, father of 21-year-old Maaz Haider, an MBBS student in Iran, thanked the Indian government for the rescue efforts.

‘Thankful to the Indian government’

"We are really happy. The students have been brought back home safely. We thank the Indian government for this. But we are sad that students, who are stuck in Tehran, have not been rescued," he told PTI Videos, and urged the authorities to evacuate students still stranded in Tehran.

Parvez Alam, father of Sameer Alam, was also seen waiting for his son at the airport. "It has been two years since he has been studying in Urmia. Everything was fine, but recently, the situation deteriorated. We were under a lot of stress. But the Indian government evacuated students to Armenia, where they were kept in good hotels. We are thankful to the Indian government," the Bulandshahr resident told the news agency PTI.

Mir Khalif, an MBBS student who landed in Delhi, said it was a tense situation in Iran. "We could see missiles. There was a war going on. Our neighbourhood was bombed. We were very afraid of the situation. I hope we will never see those days again," he told reporters.

Khalif thanked the Indian government for evacuating them first to Armenia and then bringing them back home.

"There are students still stuck in Iran. They are being relocated to safer places. We hope they will also be airlifted to India soon," he added.

India sets up 24x7 control room

The Ministry of External Affairs has also set up a 24x7 control room in New Delhi to address issues for Indians stuck in Iran and their relatives. It also shared contact information for the control room.

Here are the helpline numbers – 800118797 (Toll free), +91-11-23012113 , +91-11-23014104, +91-11-23017905; WhatsApp: +91-9968291988; Email- situationroom@mea.gov.in

(With PTI and AP inputs)