'Conditions are bad there': First flight with Indian citizens lands in Delhi from Iran

Several Indian nationals, including students and pilgrims arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi from Iran late Friday evening, since violent protests erupted against the current regime in the country. Indians living in Iran were advised the Ministry of External Affairs that is closely monitoring the situation to leave the country due to the volatile security situation there.

The MEA in a statement said it is "committed to doing whatever is necessary for their well-being."

Earlier, Iran had closed its air space for a brief period but after the restrictions were lifted, several Indians chose to return home.

On arriving at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi one of the passengers said the Indian Embassy in Iran has been cooperating with them and that the situation in the country is bad.

"The conditions are bad there. The Government of India is cooperating a lot, and the Embassy provided us with information on leaving Iran as early as possible...'Modi ji hai toh har cheez mumkin hai'," he said to news agency ANI.

While another said, "We were there for a month. But we were only facing problems for the last one or two weeks...When we went outside, the protesters would come in front of the car. They would cause a little trouble...The internet was shut down, which is why we couldn't tell our families anything, so we were a little worried...We couldn't even contact the embassy."

Meanwhile, the Indian government is collecting information about Indians stuck in different parts of Iran to bring them back safely. However, the internet shutdown has slowed the process.

What triggered the unrest in Iran

The protest in Iran that began on December 28 from Tehran’s Grand Bazaar was an outcome of the declining value of it currency rial, including crisis such as water shortages, frequent power cuts, rising unemployment and high inflation.

The currency's devaluation - about 40% drop in its value in just six months - was mostly due to the conflict with Israel for 12 days in June 2025 and reimposition UN sanctions.