The Middle East’s simmering tensions reached a boiling point in June 2025, as hostilities between Iran and Israel escalated to direct missile and drone exchanges across major cities. Amid this turmoil, thousands of foreign nationals, including over 5,000 Indians, found themselves trapped in an increasingly volatile situation. The Indian government, already monitoring the situation closely, launched Operation Sindhu on June 18 to facilitate the urgent evacuation of citizens—primarily students, pilgrims, and working professionals—from Iran.
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What Prompted the Emergency Evacuation from Iran?
What made the operation especially critical was the intensity of the conflict: cities such as Tehran, Urmia, and Isfahan experienced repeated aerial strikes and power outages. Many Indian nationals were unable to leave due to suspended commercial flights, closed borders, and security lockdowns in multiple provinces. The Indian Embassy in Tehran activated emergency hotlines, and coordination between the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), local authorities, and diplomatic missions quickly followed to mount a large-scale evacuation response.
What Is Operation Sindhu and How Was It Executed?
Operation Sindhu is the Indian government’s special rescue mission, aimed at bringing back citizens stranded in war-hit Iran. Launched just hours after intelligence reports confirmed deteriorating conditions in western Iran, the operation was built around a combination of chartered rescue flights, overland evacuations, and multilateral cooperation.
The operation was executed in phases. The first batch of evacuees—110 Indian students—was moved out of western Iran through overland routes into Armenia and Qatar, where they were picked up by Indian military-chartered aircraft and flown directly to Delhi. By June 20, three chartered flights were scheduled to bring nearly 1,000 Indians back to India.
A control room was set up at the MEA in Delhi to coordinate with embassies in Tehran, Yerevan (Armenia), and Doha (Qatar), while local consular teams visited student housing, religious centers, and hostels to account for all Indians in affected zones. Priority was given to those in active combat areas and those without access to safe shelter or food.
How Did Iran Support India’s Evacuation Efforts?
In a diplomatic gesture of rare significance, Iran made an exception amid the conflict by opening its airspace exclusively for Indian evacuation flights, despite having restricted access to foreign airlines due to ongoing military operations. Iranian officials granted India’s request to conduct humanitarian rescue missions, clearing airspace for limited-time windows during ceasefire pauses.
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This cooperation came even as Iran itself faced the dual challenge of managing civilian displacement and fending off Israeli air strikes. Indian diplomatic channels reportedly worked directly with Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Civil Aviation Authority to secure permits for three flights operated by Air India and Indian Air Force logistics teams.
Moreover, the Iranian Red Crescent helped identify safe travel corridors within Tehran and neighboring provinces, assisting Indian nationals in reaching staging areas and embassies before onward movement. Armenia also played a vital role by offering temporary transit access and logistical aid at border crossings.
What Routes and Methods Were Used to Rescue Indian Nationals?
Given the closure of major commercial routes and active combat zones, India’s rescue mission required creative and cautious navigation. Three key evacuation routes were used:
- Overland transit to Armenia: Indian nationals from northwestern cities like Urmia and Tabriz were transported by buses under embassy supervision to Armenia, then flown to Delhi from Yerevan.
- Qatar airlift: Some evacuees from southern Iran were moved via bus to the Persian Gulf coast and then flown out using military transport via Doha.
- Direct charter flights from Tehran: With Iran’s airspace cleared temporarily, special Air India and IAF-operated flights were allowed to land at Imam Khomeini International Airport, evacuating passengers directly.
Security escorts and real-time tracking were used to protect convoys from drone strikes and military activity, and ground staff were stationed at emergency relief points across routes to provide food, water, and medical aid to the evacuees.
What Did the Evacuated Indians Experience During the Crisis?
For many of the rescued Indians—especially students in universities across Tehran, Qom, and Isfahan—the experience was harrowing. “We could hear drones and explosions daily. Some of our buildings shook from nearby impacts,” said a medical student who arrived in Delhi on the first evacuation flight. Another evacuee described how blackout alerts and food shortages became the norm in dormitories and student housing.
Pilgrims visiting shrines in Mashhad and Qom reported being stranded in religious accommodations with little contact with local authorities. Indian consulates helped coordinate local transport and ensure religious groups could be moved collectively.
Many students carried only essentials—documents, water, and medication—fearing delays or potential detentions at checkpoints. The MEA has arranged trauma counseling and temporary housing for the returnees upon arrival.
What Are India’s Next Steps for Citizens Still in the Region?
While the first wave of evacuations has brought back nearly 1,000 nationals, over 4,000 Indians remain in Iran, according to MEA estimates—nearly half of whom are students. The Indian government has confirmed that Operation Sindhu will continue over the next several days, with new chartered flights and road evacuations underway.
The next stages of evacuation are expected to focus on:
- Clearing students from central and eastern Iranian cities
- Assisting working professionals in oil-rich southern Iran, especially those employed in the energy and construction sectors
- Helping pilgrims still awaiting movement clearance from Mashhad
The MEA has also warned Indians to avoid non-essential travel to Iran until further notice, and is working with Iran and Armenia to establish a temporary land corridor for evacuations if airspace permissions lapse.
India’s swift diplomatic maneuvering and the coordinated success of Operation Sindhu offer a glimpse into how crisis-driven foreign policy can yield results under pressure. As evacuations continue, the situation in Iran remains unpredictable, but for now, nearly 1,000 families in India can breathe a sigh of relief.
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