New Delhi

India has facilitated the evacuation of 1,777 of its nationals from Iran amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian Embassy in Tehran has been actively coordinating the evacuation process, with assistance from authorities in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Our embassy in Tehran has so far facilitated the movement of 1,777 Indian nationals in Iran to Armenia and Azerbaijan. From there, they have been flying back to India,” he said during an inter-ministerial briefing.

The evacuees include 895 Indian students and 345 fishermen employed by companies in Iran. The fishermen were evacuated via Armenia and returned to India on April 4, landing in Chennai.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and the Armenian government for facilitating the evacuation.

In addition to Indian nationals, the embassy also assisted two foreign nationals—one each from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Providing further details, Jaiswal said 1,545 Indians crossed into Armenia, while 234 were moved to Azerbaijan as part of the evacuation effort.

On casualties, the MEA said eight Indian nationals have died in the conflict, while one person remains missing. The mortal remains of seven victims have been brought back, while efforts are ongoing to repatriate the remaining one, currently pending in Oman.

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The conflict in West Asia began after joint military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran on February 28, triggering retaliatory attacks by Tehran and disrupting regional stability.