New Delhi [India], June 21 (ANI): A special flight from Iran carrying 290 Indians, including students and religious pilgrims, landed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport late Friday night, as part of Operation Sindhu, India's ongoing mission to evacuate citizens amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict.

The flight arrived at 11:30 PM IST and was received by Secretary (CPV & OIA) Arun Kumar Chatterjee.

Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said in a post on X, 'Operation Sindhu flight brings citizens home. Evacuated 290 Indian nationals from Iran, including students and religious pilgrims, by a charter flight. The flight arrived in New Delhi at 2330 hrs on 20 June and was received by Secretary (CPV & OIA) Arun Chatterjee.'

He added, 'The Government of India is grateful to the Government of Iran for the facilitation of the evacuation process.'

Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (CPV & OIA), MEA, said the third flight under Operation Sindhu has brought back about 290 Indians from Iran, including 190 from Jammu and Kashmir and others from Haryana, Delhi, and West Bengal.

'All of them were very happy to reach India. Everyone expressed their gratitude to the Indian government, and preparations are underway to bring back the Indians stranded in Iran. We also thank Iran for opening its airspace and helping in bringing back the Indians,' he said.

He added that due to the ongoing war between Iran and Israel, the Indian government has decided to bring back soon people stranded in Israel as well. 'Talks are going on with the Israeli government, and in the coming days, Indians will also be brought back from Israel.'

Many evacuees expressed relief upon returning home, saying they were 'very scared' there, amid the war-like conditions in Iran, but received full support throughout the process.

'We were very scared there,' said one evacuee.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah shared that more Indian students, mostly from Jammu and Kashmir, are being brought out of Iran via land routes to Armenia, from where they will be flown back to India.

'We cannot evacuate them overnight because no airports are open, no ports are operational. We are first bringing them by road to cities where there is no bombing, and from there, efforts are being made to bring them back to India via Armenia. Today, we expect around 300 to 400 more students to arrive, most of whom are from Jammu and Kashmir. We will bring them back home safely, and there is a sense of hope all around,' he said.

Amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, Abdullah called for de-escalation through dialogue.

'The India-Pakistan issue is a separate matter, and the Israel-Iran issue is different. In any case, this bombing should never have started. Earlier, when the head of U.S. intelligence was asked whether Iran had nuclear weapons, he said he didn't think they would be able to make one anytime soon. But within a few months, Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks must stop, and the issues should be resolved through dialogue,' he said.

Abdullah also voiced concerns over the dynamics of India-U.S. relations, suggesting that the United States prioritises its own interests over bilateral ties with India.

He said, 'We can't dictate to the US President whom he should invite for dinner. We used to think the US President was our close friend, and he would respect that, but the US does what benefits it...'

On Thursday, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh welcomed the first group of 110 Indian nationals evacuated from Iran amid the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. (ANI)