A total of 1,043 Indian nationals, including 717 students, have crossed from Iran into Armenia and Azerbaijan due to lack of direct flights due to airspace closure due to conflict in West Asia, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday.
Some Indians have already returned to their homeland, and Indian missions in the region are assisting others by providing consular services and logistical support, Asim Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said in a press conference.
Mahajan said an unspecified number of Indians also crossed from Israel into Jordan.
India has focused on the security and well-being of 10 million Indians living in West Asia since Israeli and US military strikes on Iran sparked the conflict on February 28. Six Indians were killed in the area and another person was reported missing.
A total of 426,000 people have returned to India from the region since February 28, and Indian and foreign airlines operated 2,149 scheduled and non-scheduled commercial flights from West Asia to the country during this period, Mahajan said.
Limited non-scheduled commercial flights are operating from the UAE to India, including 80 flights on Wednesday. Flights are also operated from the Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, while the airspace of Kuwait and Bahrain remains closed.
Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Special Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, said at the press conference that 20 Indian-flagged merchant ships with 540 Indian sailors on board, are currently stationed in the Persian Gulf, waiting for the right moment to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
He added: “To reach the east, these ships must cross the Strait of Hormuz. They must choose the correct and appropriate time to cross.” [the strait] “Because the situation there is not normal. In time, they will move keeping their safety in mind,” Sinha said.
In recent days, Iran has allowed Indian-flagged LPG tankers to transit the strait, which Tehran has effectively closed since the start of hostilities. The closure raised concerns about the oil and gas crisis in many countries.
While two LPG tankers crossed the strait on March 16 and 17 and delivered their cargo to Indian ports, the other two tankers are heading to the country’s western coast. One of these LPG tankers is scheduled to arrive at Kandla Port and the other at New Mangalore Port on March 26-27, Sinha said. They carry 92 thousand metric tons of LPG.
Sinha also said that 50 Indian sailors have been repatriated to the country since Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that India has purchased its first cargo of Iranian LPG in several years after the United States temporarily waived sanctions on Iranian crude and refined fuel, and the sanctioned tanker Aurora is expected to arrive at the port of Mangalore on the west coast.
India was forced to stop purchasing energy from Iran in 2019 due to pressure from the US administration.
However, Sinha said he was not aware of the purchase of the Iranian shipments. He added: “(There are) no shipments loaded from Iran, and we have not heard of that.”
During a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for de-escalation and restoration of peace in West Asia as soon as possible. He also said that it is essential to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, safe and accessible as it is vital to global peace, stability and economic well-being.
