Iran Israel War: Tehran takes BIG step for Indian citizens stranded in Iran, allows...

Amid the increasingly intense military conflict between Iran and Israel, the Islamic Republic has taken a major step for Indian nationals stranded in the country. Tehran has relaxed its airspace restrictions to allow three Indian charter flights to evacuate about 1,000 people who had already been moved to safer places within Iran. More such flights could be operated in the coming days for others wishing to return to India, a senior Iranian diplomat said in a statement on Friday.

What did Iranian diplomat say?
"Iran’s airspace is closed but because of this issue, we are making arrangements to open it for the safe passage of (Indian nationals)," Mohammad Javad Hosseini, the deputy chief of mission at the Iranian embassy in New Delhi, told reporters on Friday.

How many Indians in Iran?
At least 1,000 Indians stuck in several cities of Iran are expected to reach the Indian capital in the next two days as part of the evacuation programme, which the government has named Operation Sindhu. The first flight is due to land at 11 pm on Friday night. The second and third flights are both scheduled to reach on Saturday. On Thursday, a batch of 110 Indian students, who had been moved from Iran to Armenia via a land border crossing, returned to New Delhi on a flight from Yerevan.
Media reports say over 4,000 Indian nationals are currently residing in Iran, and about half of them are students. Iran's airspace remains closed to most international flights as missile and drone attacks continue between Iranian and Israeli forces.

What's happening between Iran, Israel?
Roughly a week ago, Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, targeting its nuclear facilities and killing many of its top-ranking military officials and nuclear scientists. In retaliation, Iran launched a barrage of missile attacks at the Jewish-majority nation as the conflict continues to intensify. In the Islamic Republic, more than 200 people have been killed and hundreds others injured, while two dozens have been killed and hundreds others wounded in Israel. But human rights groups say the death toll may be higher than reported.