India has expanded its ongoing evacuation mission, Operation Sindhu, to include citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka stranded in Iran, following requests from both governments. The decision comes as the conflict between Iran and Israel intensifies, with the war entering its ninth day and no diplomatic breakthrough in sight.
The Indian Embassy in Iran announced on Saturday that evacuation assistance will now be extended beyond Indian nationals. “On request of the Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Indian Embassy’s evacuation efforts in Iran will also cover Citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka,” the embassy posted on X.
India launched Operation Sindhu earlier this week to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran after hostilities between Israel and Iran escalated dramatically. Israel’s June 13 airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites under “Operation Rising Lion” triggered a fierce retaliation from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which launched hundreds of drones and missiles at strategic Israeli targets under “Operation True Promise 3.”
As of June 21, a total of 517 Indian nationals have been evacuated under Operation Sindhu, according to Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. A special evacuation flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, landed in New Delhi at 3:00 AM on Saturday, bringing back a fresh batch of evacuees. “Operation Sindhu continues,” Jaiswal posted on X.
Photographs from New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport showed relieved students and professionals arriving from Mashhad, Iran—one of the areas affected by the deteriorating security situation.
India’s proactive role in assisting citizens of neighboring nations reflects its growing diplomatic outreach and humanitarian commitment in crisis zones. The expansion of Operation Sindhu builds on India’s legacy of large-scale evacuation efforts. These include Operation Kaveri in 2023 during the Sudan crisis, Operation Ajay during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, and Operation Devi Shakti in 2021 after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
Other past missions like Operation Ganga (Ukraine, 2022), Operation Samudra Setu (COVID-19, 2020), Operation Raahat (Yemen, 2015), and Operation Safe Homecoming (Libya, 2011) further underscore India’s reputation for successfully conducting complex international rescue operations under high-risk conditions.
With the Israel-Iran conflict still unfolding, Indian officials have signaled that Operation Sindhu will remain active and adaptive, ensuring the safety of all Indian nationals and extending support where feasible to neighboring countries in need.
