Iran Opens Airspace For India, 1st Batch Of Students To Reach Delhi Tonight

Iran has opened its otherwise closed airspace exclusively for Indian evacuation flights. At least 1,000 Indian students stranded in conflict-hit Iranian cities are expected to land in Delhi in the next two days as part of the government's emergency evacuation programme, Operation Sindhu.

The first flight is due to land at 11:00 PM IST tonight. The second and third flights are scheduled for Saturday, one in the morning and another in the evening. 

The Iranian airspace remains closed to most international flights following ongoing missile exchanges and drone attacks involving Israeli and Iranian forces. India has been granted an exclusive corridor to carry out the evacuation of its students. 

India on Wednesday announced launching 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran as the Persian Gulf nation's conflict with Israel showed no sign of letting up. Iranian embassy officials in Delhi said the Iranian foreign ministry was in close touch with the Indian mission in Tehran after some students were injured.

"India accords highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

More than 4,000 Indian nationals are living in Iran and half of them are students.

According to official MEA briefings, 110 Indian students were evacuated from northern Iran earlier this week and transported to Yerevan, Armenia by road. The evacuation was carried out under close coordination between India's missions in Tehran and Yerevan. From Yerevan, they boarded a special flight at 14:55 hours on 18 June, landing in New Delhi in the early hours of 19 June.

"The Indian government is grateful to the governments of Iran and Armenia for facilitating the safe passage of Indian nationals through their territories," an MEA spokesperson said.

These students were enrolled at Urmia Medical University in Iran's West Azerbaijan province, close to the border with Turkey, a region that has seen missile activity and troop movement in recent days.

Most of the students are residents of Jammu and Kashmir, with the Jammu and Kashmir Students' Association confirming that 90 of the 110 evacuees on the first flight are from the union territory.

The latest conflict began when Israel launched 'Operation Rising Lion' targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure. This prompted massive retaliatory strikes from Tehran, including missile salvos and drone attacks that have reportedly killed over 20 civilians in Israeli towns and injured several hundred.

On Wednesday, Israeli jets carried out multiple strikes near Tehran, with eyewitnesses reporting evacuations in northern districts of the capital. By evening, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed to have targeted a nuclear facility, while Iranian state media reported launches of hypersonic missiles aimed at Israeli military installations.