India Thanks Armenia for Assisting Evacuation of More Than 550 Nationals From Iran
BRUSSELS — India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday thanked Armenia for helping facilitate the evacuation of more than 550 Indian nationals from Iran as tensions continue to escalate across West Asia.
Jaishankar expressed appreciation for Armenia’s assistance in a message posted on social media platform X, saying the country played a key role in helping Indian citizens leave Iran safely during the ongoing crisis.
“Thank the Government and the people of Armenia for facilitating the safe evacuation of over 550 Indian nationals from Iran so far. Appreciate their support in these challenging times,” Jaishankar wrote.
The evacuations come amid a widening conflict in West Asia that began after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. The attacks reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with several senior military officials. Iran later responded with drone and missile strikes targeting the United States, Israel, and allied forces across the region.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, the first group of Indian nationals evacuated from Iran arrived safely in New Delhi on Sunday. The batch included more than 70 students, most of them from Jammu and Kashmir, along with several pilgrims.
Nasir Khuehami, national convenor of the association, said the group had been stranded in Iran during the escalating conflict before being evacuated through a coordinated transit route.
“The first batch of more than 70 Indian students — the majority of them from Jammu and Kashmir, along with several pilgrims — who had been stranded in Iran amid the ongoing war-like situation in the region, safely arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, on a commercial flight this morning as part of the initial phase of the evacuation process,” Khuehami said.
“The students returned to India via a connecting journey through Armenia and Dubai after undertaking a long and difficult land and air transit arranged in coordination with the concerned authorities,” he added.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said earlier this month that it continues to assist Indian citizens in Iran while monitoring regional developments that could affect shipping routes and the country’s energy security.
Speaking at a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on March 12, ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Indian authorities are working to support citizens who want to return home.
“We have around 9,000 Indian nationals in Iran, including students, seafarers, businesspeople, professionals and pilgrims. Following advisories issued earlier, several Indian nationals, especially students, have already returned home. We have recently shifted several Indian nationals, including students and pilgrims who are based in Tehran, to other safer locations and cities in the country,” Jaiswal said.
He added that Indian authorities are helping citizens cross land borders into neighboring countries before taking commercial flights back to India.
“We are also assisting Indian nationals who wish to travel to Azerbaijan and Armenia, and from there to take commercial flights to return home. We are assisting them with visas and border crossings. We have had several Indian nationals who have approached us, and we have helped them to cross over into Azerbaijan and Armenia and from there to take commercial flights back home,” Jaiswal said.
The ministry has also urged Indian nationals planning to leave Iran to follow travel guidance issued by the Indian Embassy in Tehran on March 9.
“Our mission in Tehran is in constant touch with our community members and is offering all possible assistance to them,” Jaiswal said. (Source: IANS)
