India ramps up evacuation efforts as distress calls pour in from Iran

AS military tensions between Iran and Israel escalate, India has launched a wide-scale evacuation mission, deploying several buses to transport its citizens from the Iranian cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Gorgan, and Kermanshah to safer zones near the Armenia border.

- JAYANTH JACOB & NAMITA BAJPAI @New Delhi / Lucknow

So far, 110 Indian students have been safely evacuated to Armenia, with a special flight to Delhi scheduled for Wednesday.

Over 1,000 people from Uttar Pradesh are also among those stranded in Iran. Sources said many of them are pilgrims visiting Shia holy sites in Iran.

Shias in UP routinely visit Iran's key religious cities including Mashhad, Qom, and Tehran. Mashhad is home to the shrine of the eighth Shia Imam Hazrat Ali Raza, while Qom houses the shrine of Bibi Fatima, daughter of Imam Musa al-Kazim. Both cities are considered religious capitals for Shia Muslims and host thousands of international pilgrims and students each year.