1,043 Indians cross from Iran into Armenia and Azerbaijan

ACome of 1,043 amerindic nationals, including 717 students, feature crossed from islamic republic of iran to republic of armenia and Azerbaijan due to the lack of direct flights caused by the closure of airspace over the West Asia conflict, the external affairs ministry said on Wednesday.Some of the Indians had already returned home, and Indian missions in the region are assisting others by providing consular services and logistical support, Aseem Mahajan, additional secretary (Gulf) in the external affairs ministry, told a media briefing.Mahajan said an unspecified number of Indians had also crossed over from Israel to Jordan.India has focused on the security and well-being of 10 million Indians living in West Asia since Israel and the US’s military strikes on Iran triggered a conflict on February 28. Six Indians have died in the region and another person has been reported missing.A total of 426,000 people have returned to India from the region since February 28, and Indian and foreign carriers 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 being operated from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to India, including 80 flights on Wednesday. Flights are also being operated from Oman and Saudi Arabia, while the airspace of Kuwait and Bahrain remains closed.Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the shipping ministry, told the briefing that 20 Indian-flagged merchant vessels with 540 Indian sailors, currently located in the Persian Gulf, are waiting for an opportune moment to cross the Strait of Hormuz.“To come to the east, these vessels have to cross the Strait of Hormuz. They have to choose the correct and suitable time to cross [the strait] because the situation there is not normal,” Sinha said. “At the correct time, they will move keeping in mind their safety.”In recent days, Iran has allowed Indian-flagged LPG carriers to cross the strait, which has effectively been closed by Tehran since the start of the hostilities. The closure has sparked concerns about an oil and gas crisis in several countries.While two LPG carriers crossed the strait on March 16 and 17 and delivered their cargo to Indian ports, the other two are headed to the country’s west coast. One of these LPG carriers is set to arrive at Kandla port and the other at New Mangalore port on March 26 and 27, Sinha said. They are carrying 92,000 metric tonnes of LPG.Sinha also said 50 Indian sailors had been repatriated to the country since Tuesday.Meanwhile, Reuters reported that India has bought ‌its first cargo of Iranian LPG in several years after the US temporarily waived sanctions on Iranian crude and refined fuels, and the sanctioned tanker Aurora is ⁠expected to reach the west coast port of Mangalore.India was forced to stop buying energy from ​Iran in 2019 because of pressure from the US administration.Sinha, however, said ‌he ⁠was not aware of Iranian cargoes being bought. “(There are) no loaded cargoes from Iran, we have not heard of that,” he said.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 at the earliest. He also said it is essential to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible as it is vital for global peace, stability and economic well-being.