By Minahil Arif
“I’ve always felt safe in Iran before the recent tensions started. In fact, I love Iran—after India, it feels like a second home to me,” Tamheed Ulislam, 24, told CivilNet. A student at the Urmia University of Medical Sciences, he is among dozens of Indian nationals who fled after crossing the Iran-Armenia border.
As tensions reach a boiling point between Israel and Iran, foreign governments are seeking emergency exits for nationals stranded in both countries. The Armenia-Iran border has been crowded since the attacks, with the flow of hundreds of Iranian citizens arriving in Armenia.
As many as 110 Indian students from Urmia University in Iran crossed into Armenia just days ago and landed in India today.
Tamheed tells CivilNet that as the situation became more tense, daily life became too disrupted and people were living under a constant threat. After four years in Iran, he saw no other way but to leave.
It took the students two or three days to coordinate their departure with support from the Indian government. India’s Ministry of External Affairs ensured their exit from Iran and into Armenia where the Armenian police coordinated their security.
The departure of the Indian students was the first step of Operation Sindhu, a government plan launched to evacuate nationals from Iran. The students traveled by road to Yerevan, Armenia. They then departed Yerevan on a special flight the following day and arrived in New Delhi in the early hours of June 19.
Tamheed recalled the uncertainty of traveling through a war zone and dealing with constant threats through their journey.
“The most challenging part was the emotional stress—traveling through a war-affected area, not knowing what could happen next,” he recounts.
As part of the ongoing operation, the Indian Embassy in Iran has been assisting Indian nationals to go to safe areas and to subsequently evacuate them however possible. They are being advised by the ministry to stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Tehran through their emergency helpline and a 24-hour control room in New Delhi.
Minahil Arif is The Armenia Project (TAP) intern at CivilNet. She is a graduate student of journalism at University of California, Berkeley.
