Nepal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Arzu Rana Deuba, on Saturday thanked India for its “swift assistance in helping to evacuate Nepali nationals from Iran”.

Tagging Union Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar, Deuba said that India’s support in Nepal’s evacuation efforts is a “reflection of strength of Nepal-India ties”.

India on June 18 announced the launch of ‘Operation Sindhu’ to evacuate its nationals from Iran after its conflict with Israel, which has entered its second week, showed no sign of letting up.

The Indian Embassy in Iran on Saturday said that its evacuation efforts will also cover Nepal and Sri Lanka. In a post on X, the Embassy said, “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 citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka may urgently reach out to the Embassy, either on the Telegram channel or over the emergency contact numbers. 989010144557; 989128109115; 989128109109,” it added.

India’s Operation Sindhu A Mahan Air evacuation flight carrying 256 Indian students, the majority from the Kashmir valley, landed safely at the Delhi airport on Saturday, bringing much-needed relief to their anxious families.

According to a PTI report, the students, many of whom were stranded in Iran amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, appeared visibly exhausted but relieved after enduring days of fear and uncertainty in the conflict zone.

“Thanks to the Government of India for its efforts and timely coordination with Iranian authorities. We remain committed to ensuring the safe evacuation of all remaining students, especially those from vulnerable and remote regions,” the Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association said in a statement.

The association also confirmed that another evacuation flight carrying Indian students is expected to arrive in the national capital around 11:30 pm.

This was the second flight bringing back Indians from Iran within 24 hours under Operation Sindhu. Another flight from Iran’s Mashhad, with 290 Indian students, mostly from Jammu and Kashmir landed in Delhi late on Friday night, the report added.

The Indian authorities, in coordination with their Iranian counterparts, facilitated the movement of stranded students from Tehran to Mashhad before boarding. Iran also opened its airspace in a special gesture to support the evacuation.

In all, nearly 1,000 Indian nationals are being brought home through a series of special flights. On Thursday, 110 students were flown out via Armenia and Doha. Two additional flights, including one from Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat (expected arrival around 3 am on Sunday), are also scheduled, a PTI report said.