New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): A special flight carrying 272 Indian nationals and three Nepalese citizens stranded in conflict-hit Iran's Mashhad landed safely in New Delhi late last night, taking the total number of people evacuated under Operation Sindhu to 3,426.

Evacuees thanked the Iranian and Indian governments for evacuating them from conflict-hit Iran under Operation Sindhu.

While speaking to ANI, an Indian evacuee returning from Iran said, 'I thank my government, especially the Prime Minister. We faced no difficulties. Both the Iranian and Indian governments treated us very well.'

Another evacuee shared similar sentiments, saying, 'We are thankful to the government for bringing us back. If the situation had worsened there, it would have been difficult to return.'

Operation Sindhu was launched amidst the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, which had gripped the region for the past couple of weeks before a ceasefire was agreed on Tuesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Indian Embassy in Iran announced that it will be gradually winding down its evacuation exercise for Indian nationals, initiated after the escalated conflict in the region following Israel's military operations on the Islamic Republic, as a ceasefire deal was made between the two countries on Tuesday.

In a post on X, the Embassy detailed the closure of the contact desk set up for registering new names of Indian nationals for evacuation, while assuring continued monitoring of the security situation.

'Announcement from Embassy of India, Tehran: Since there has been an announcement of ceasefire, the Embassy is gradually winding up the evacuation exercise initiated during the military conflict in Iran. Hence, the Embassy has closed the contact desk that was opened to register new names for evacuation. At the same time, the Government of India is keeping a careful eye on the evolving situation and will reassess its strategy in case there is again a threat to the security of Indian nationals in Iran,' the Embassy stated.

This came after US President Trump, on early Tuesday, announced a ceasefire agreement between the two conflict-gripped nations following Iran's attack on US military bases in Qatar and Iraq in response to the US strikes on its nuclear facilities. (ANI)