India Successfully Repatriates Over 2300 Citizens from Iran Amid West Asia Conflict
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New Delhi, April 17 (NationPress) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday that since the onset of the conflict in West Asia, India has successfully repatriated 2,361 individuals to their homeland.
During a weekly media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal revealed that the 2,361 returnees comprise Indian students, fishermen, and three foreign nationals.
"Since the conflict began, we have facilitated the safe return of 2,361 Indian citizens from Iran to India. Out of these, 2,060 were evacuated via Armenia and 301 via Azerbaijan. This number includes 1,041 Indian students, as well as three foreign nationals—one each from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Guyana. I previously mentioned that approximately 7,500 Indian nationals were present in Iran during that time," he stated.
The statement from the MEA comes in light of a two-week ceasefire agreement between Iran and the United States that came into effect on April 8.
On April 11, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar announced the successful evacuation of an additional 312 Indian fishermen from Iran to India through Armenia. He extended his gratitude to the government of Armenia for facilitating this operation.
"We successfully evacuated another 312 Indian fishermen from Iran to India via Armenia. I express my gratitude to the Government of Armenia and my friend Ararat Mirzoyan for their assistance. Armenia has played a crucial role in aiding the evacuation of Indian nationals from Iran," EAM Jaishankar shared on X.
On April 8, the Indian Embassy in Iran urged Indian nationals still in the country to leave promptly in coordination with the Embassy, using the recommended routes. They cautioned against attempting to cross any international land borders without prior consultation with the Embassy and provided emergency contact numbers for Indian nationals in Iran.
On February 28, a series of joint attacks by Israel and the United States on Tehran and other Iranian cities resulted in the death of Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, alongside senior military officials and civilians. In retaliation, Iran launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and US interests in the Middle East, tightening its control over the Strait of Hormuz.