Transcript of Weekly Media Briefing by the Official Spokesperson (June 26, 2025)
India - Ministry of External Affairs
June 26, 2025
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good afternoon friends. Let's begin our engagement. The floor is open for questions.
We will start from here then.
Huma Siddiqui, StratNews Global: Sir I am Huma Siddiqui from StratNews Global. I have a question. Do you have any confirmed number of how many Indians have been evacuated from Iran and Israel and how many are still waiting to be brought back?
Sahil Pandey, ANI: Sir, I am Sahil Pandey from ANI News Agency. I wanted to know about any update on reinstating the High Commissioner to Canada.
Somya Jaiswal, Republic TV: Sir, this is Somya from Republic TV. Sir, I have two questions. One, on the SCO summit. How do you view China diluting the focus on terrorism, and how is India going to ensure that they are going to make sure that their concerns are being considered under China's chairmanship?
And second question, on the guidelines that has been issued by the U.S. Embassy with regards to visa applicants. As in their social media handles will be ... they will be kept in check. So is India going to do something of the same sort, or is it required that we bring in something similar to that or reciprocal to visa applicants here in India?
Archis Mohan, Business Standard: Sir, this is Archis Mohan from Business Standard. There are reports that China has curtailed its exports of chemicals that are used in manufacturing of fertilizers to India. If you could share with us, have there been any negotiations with the Chinese side? And, if there is any follow-up on negotiations on rare earth elements, that we import from China?
Akhilesh Suman, Doordarshan: Sir main Akhilesh Suman hoon Doordarshan se. Israel aur Iran ke beech mei yudh viram ho chuka hain. To Operation Sindhu kya khatam ho gaya hain? Ya woh continue karega? Aur kitne log aa chuke hain Operation Sindhu ke tahat, aur usmei kitne bhartiya hain, kitne videshi nagrik hain?
[Approximate translation: Question in Hindi: Sir, I am Akhilesh Suman from Doordarshan. A ceasefire has been declared between Israel and Iran. So, has Operation Sindhu ended? Or will it continue? And how many people have arrived under Operation Sindhu, and among them, how many are Indians and how many are foreign nationals?]
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Toh matlab aapka sawal aur Huma ka sawal ek hi hain, toh I will take both the questions together.
[Approximate translation: Answer in Hindi:So that means your question and Huma's question are the same, so I will take both the questions together.]
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: So Huma, first your question on Indians who have been evacuated, and other people who have been evacuated from both Israel and Iran.
So, see we launched Operation Sindhu on 18th of June. We have around 10,000 people of Indian community members in Iran. Around 40,000 people in Israel who are Indian nationals. From Iran, we have so far evacuated 3,426 Indian nationals, 11 OCI card holders, 9 Nepalese nationals and some Sri Lankan nationals as well. I will give you the exact figure. Plus one Iranian national who happens to be spouse of an Indian national.
In all, we mounted 14 flights to bring back Indian nationals from Iran. These flights, they flew from Mashhad as also from Yerevan in Armenia and Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. I understand that one more flight is to come from ... or is on its way from Armenia and it will land later this evening. With that, we would have completed all the people who wish to be evacuated from Iran, and they would be back home.
As far as Israel is concerned, we have so far evacuated 818 Indian nationals in four flights. As you are aware, the airspace in Israel was closed. So, we had to take our people to bordering countries, that is Jordan and Egypt. And from both these countries, they were put on special flights and they came back home.
We are thankful to the governments of Egypt, Jordan for the support. Our embassies in Israel, in Jordan, in Egypt collaborated very closely with the Ministry Headquarters here in mounting this operation. And once again, we would like to thank the governments of Israel, Jordan and Egypt for the support in Operation Sindhu. But we would also like to thank the Government of Iran. As you would know that we made a request and they opened their airspace for us to evacuate our nationals. We are grateful to the Government of Iran for this special gesture. We are also thankful to the government of Turkmenistan and Armenia for helping us evacuate our people.
As far as the operation of this operation ... Operation Sindhu is concerned, we are assessing the situation on the ground and based on that, we will take a decision as to whether we continue with it or not. We will keep you updated in this regard. But as you know that there is a ceasefire and we have welcomed the ceasefire.
Sahil, your question regarding the reinstatement of High Commissioner. As you would have seen, we had issued a press release when we had the last meeting of our Prime Minister with Prime Minister Carney on the sidelines of G7 in Kananaskis in Alberta. Both leaders then had reaffirmed the importance of India-Canada ties based on shared democratic values, respect for the rule of law, and commitment to upholding the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Both sides agreed to take calibrated and constructive steps to restore stability in the relationship, beginning with the early return of High Commissioners to each other's capitals. So that was what was agreed between the Prime Ministers. Both sides are now working on this particular matter.
Somya, on a question regarding SCO. We had Raksha Mantri, our Defence Minister, participating in the Defence Minister's meeting of SCO. This meeting happened over two days, that is yesterday and today.
The Defence Minister's meeting has concluded. I understand that they could not adopt a Joint Statement. I also understand that member countries could not reach consensus on certain issues and hence the document could not be finalised. On our side, India wanted concerns on terrorism reflected in the document, which was not acceptable to one particular country, and therefore the statement was not adopted.
But we had participation of our Raksha Mantri. We issued a press release. The press release is very instructive in how we look at the threat of terrorism. Raksha Mantri in his articulation in his address called upon the SCO member countries to come together, unite to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We had a press release which was issued a little earlier today. So I would refer you to look at that. He also reiterated the need to uphold the perpetrators, organizers, financiers, sponsors of reprehensible acts of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, there to be held accountable and bring them to justice.
He also urged all SCO members; he said that we must all be in lockstep in our endeavour in strengthening stability and security in our neighborhood. So I would urge you to look at the statement of our Raksha Mantri. That would give you a sense of our approach to SCO on security.
Dekhiye Raksha Mantri SCO ki jo raksha mantriyon ki baithak hui usmein unhone bhaag liya. Yeh baithak 25 aur 26 tareekh ko hua yaani ki kal aur aaj. Abhi jo Defence Minister, raksha mantriyon ki meeting thi woh khatam ho chuki hai aur anya cheez chal rahe hain. Uske sideline mein logon ka milna julna chal raha hai. Jahan tak joint statement ki baat thi, us par maine yeh kaha ki kuch jo sadasya log hain SCO ke, woh is baat par unki sahmati nahi bani kuch muddon par, aur isliye woh joint statement apnaya nahi gaya. Hamare taraf se jo hamare apne kuch chintaayein thi aatankvaad ko lekar, jisko hum log chahte the ki us document mein jaaye, uske prati ek desh ko aapati thi, jiske kaaran se statement ko finalize nahi kiya gaya. Jaisa aapko pata hai ki statement ke liye consensus chahiye hota hai, aur is is kaaran se statement adopt nahi hua. Yeh kehne ke baad main yeh batana chahta hoon ki hamare jo apne statement the, usmein humne apna paksh aatankvaad ko lekar, jo hamara paksh hai, jo hamara soch hai, ki poori duniya ko saath milkar is threat se, is aatankvaad se ladna chahiye, isko humne wahan par rakha.
[Approximate translation: Answer in Hindi: Look, the Defence Minister participated in the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting. This meeting took place on the 25th and 26th, that is, yesterday and today. The meeting of the Defence Ministers has now concluded, and other events are currently ongoing. On the sidelines, there are interactions and meetings happening among participants.
Regarding the Joint Statement, I had mentioned that some member states of the SCO could not reach a consensus on certain issues, which is why the Joint Statement was not adopted. From our side, there were specific concerns related to terrorism that we wanted to be included in the document. However, one country objected to that, and due to that objection, the statement could not be finalized. As you know, a consensus is required for such statements, and because of that, the statement was not adopted.
Having said that, I want to emphasize that we clearly presented our position on terrorism—what our stand is, and what we believe—that the entire world must come together to combat this threat of terrorism. We put this view forward strongly at the forum.]
On the guidelines regarding visa issues, yes, you see, visa matters, immigration matters are matters which pertain to sovereign functions of any country. But having said that, we have seen the guidelines issued by the US side, with the US Embassy here, US government, regarding providing details of social media identifiers in visa applications. But it is our belief that all visa applications of Indian nationals should be treated on the basis of merit, and we remain engaged with the US side on all mobility issues and consular issues to ensure that the legitimate interests of Indian nationals are safeguarded.
Archis, on some of our trade issues that you raised. On rare earths, yes, we have been in touch with the Chinese side both in Delhi as also in Beijing and we are talking to them as to how we can streamline the supply chain issue on rare earths. As far as the other issues that you raised, we are in touch with the Chinese side on several economic issues and trade issues as and when anything is required to be done.
To dekhiye, 18 June ko hum logon ne Operation Sindhu ko launch kiya tha, aur Operation Sindhu mein Iran se aur Israel se logon ko wapas ... Bharatiya nagrik ko wapas laaye gaye hain. Jahan tak Iran ka sawaal hai, wahan se hum logon ne 3426 Bharatiya nagrikon ko, 11 OCI card holders ko, 9 Nepal ke nagrik ko, aur chaar mere khyaal se Sri Lanka ke nagrikon ko hum logon ne wapas laaya hai. Aur saath hi saath ek Iranian mahila jo ek Bharatiya nagrik se byaahi hai, unko wapas laaya hai. Iran se Itne log laane ke liye hum logon ne ab tak 15 special flight ko lagaya tha is kaam mein, aur ek jahaj Armenia se aa rahi hai, woh shaam tak pahunchhegi. Usmein bhi kuch Bharatiya nagrik wapas aa rahe hain, Iran ke, Iran mein rehne waale the. To kul mila ke 14 aur ek woh 15, aaj 10 ya 01 baje tak woh jahaj aane waala hai. To 15 jahaj ho jaayega. Jahan tak Israel ka sawaal hai, wahan se chaar jahaj pe hum logon ne 818 Bharatiya nagrikon ko wapas laaya hai Operation Sindhu ke tahat. Aur jahan tak Operation Sindhu ko matlab ya to khatam karna hai, kya karna hai, uske baare mein hum log ek baar ek assessment kar lenge, zameeni star par kya us zaruratein hain, nahin hain. Uske baad hum log is par ek mat banaya jaayega.
[Approximate translation: Answer in Hindi: So, look, we launched Operation Sindhu on June 18. Under Operation Sindhu, Indian citizens have been brought back from Iran and Israel. As far as Iran is concerned, we have brought back 3,426 Indian citizens, 11 OCI card holders, 9 Nepalese nationals, and, I believe, 4 Sri Lankan nationals. Along with them, we also brought back an Iranian woman who is married to an Indian citizen.
To bring back this many people, we have so far deployed 15 special flights for the operation. In addition, a ship is coming from Armenia and is expected to arrive by this evening. It is also bringing back some Indian nationals who were residing in Iran. So in total, were 14 flights; and in addition this one flight, making it 15. The flight is expected to arrive today around 2200 or 0100 hrs. So it will be counted as the 15th. As for Israel, under Operation Sindhu, we brought back 818 Indian citizens through four flights.
Now, regarding whether Operation Sindhu should be concluded or not — we will conduct an assessment on the ground to determine whether there is still any requirement. After that, a decision will be made accordingly.]
Avinash Agrawal, The Asahi Shimbun: Sir I am Avinash from The Asahi Shimbun. Sir, I would like to know India's present position on Dalai Lama, and specially in the view of the fact that next month he will be turning 90. And some conferences and religious conferences and celebrations are celebrated ... scheduled to be celebrated there. And he is also expected to issue a statement which might talk about his reincarnation.
Rishabh Madhavendra Pratap, Times Now: Hello Sir, Rishabh from Times Now. There are reports that US has downgraded their advisory on India. There are certain reports which suggest that US citizens have been asked not to go out alone and should be in groups in parts of India. If you can have a comment on that.
Keshav Padmanabhan, ThePrint: Sir, Keshav Padmanabhan from ThePrint. The BRICS joint statement which was published yesterday called the military strikes on Iran a violation of international law, which was not there in India's own position. So, can you give us a comment whether that should be the understanding that .... India as a part of the BRICS considers the military strikes a violation of international law? Thank you.
Nirmala Ganapathy, The Straits Times: Nirmala from The Straits Times. I wanted to ask you, the India-ASEAN FTA review has run into trouble. Since economic cooperation with ASEAN is a major part of the relationship, does this impact ties in any way?
Mohammed Ghazali, NDTV: Sir, Ghazali from NDTV. We believe that in this 12-day war, Mr. Netanyahu also spoke to Prime Minister Modi. So, did Prime Minister express any reservation on the strikes on the nuclear installations in Iran? And what is India's stand on Iran's nuclear enrichment program?
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Avinash, first your question on Dalai Lama. See, on this particular issue we have already spoken several times, so I would urge you to refer to what we have said on this particular matter.
Rishabh, your question regarding travel advisories. Travel advisories are periodically issued by countries based on their assessment of various factors. We have noted that the United States has also updated the travel advisory for India. This happened, I think, on 16th of June and thereafter we have been informed by the US authorities that there has been no change in India's advisory level, which remains at level 2, same as before. And the US's travel advisory level for India has been at level 2 for several years.
Keshav, on BRICS Joint Statement. Yes, we are part of BRICS. So, I have seen the joint statement that was issued where the member countries have expressed this grave concern. I would also urge you to look at the statements that we have issued on Israel-Iran issue, where we have expressed our deep concern on the escalation and we have called for the route of dialogue and diplomacy to be taken for de-escalation and for bringing regional stability and peace.
Nirmala, on FTA negotiations. We have been having negotiations with ASEAN in regard to the FTA... on AITIGA. We are working with our ASEAN partners. It is our expectation that this needs to be completed as soon as possible. That is our hope, and we look forward to continue our engagement with ASEAN on this particular matter of ASEAN-India Trade-in-Goods Agreement (AITIGA).
Ghazali, Prime Minister's ... telephone call between the Prime Minister of Israel and our Prime Minister. Yes, the telephone conversation had happened, and thereafter we also gave you a readout as to what transpired during that telephone call. So, I would refer you to have a look at that particular document.
Samira Hussain, BBC: Samira from BBC. There is a clear softening between ... relations between Canada and India. At the same time, there is still the court case that is unfolding with regards to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar that happened in Canada last year, and the source of the massive amounts of consternation between the two countries. I am wondering, now that the court case is going to take place in the next few months, there is going to be a lot of evidence that's going to be put forward. I mean ... does it mean that the current softening may erupt again?
Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Bloomberg News: Sir, thank you. Since this is a briefing taking place after some time, if you give us two questions, I will be very happy.
One, we have seen President Trump allowing China or easing the curbs on picking up oil from Iran. Is India also looking for something similar? Two, we have seen Pakistan's Field Marshal being invited to the White House. Does India have a concern on this and does this affect India-US relationship?
Gautam Lahiri: Thank you, sir. This question relates to trade relations with Bangladesh that following the India's second reciprocal measure on the export to Bangladesh, whether Bangladesh Government has reached out to India for trade and tariff issue?
Vishal Pandey, ABP News: Sir main Vishal hoon ABP News se. Mera sawal Pradhanmantri ke aane waale videsh dauron ko lekar hai. Kin kin deshon ka daura karne waale hain? Khaas taur par Brazil mein BRICS ko lekar, kya uske alag se Russia ke saath mein koi dvipaksheey vaarta hogi ya anya deshon ke saath?
[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi: Sir, I am Vishal from ABP News. My question is regarding the Prime Minister's upcoming foreign visits. Which countries are he expected to visit, and specifically regarding BRICS in Brazil — will there be a separate bilateral meeting with Russia or with any other countries?]
Kallol Bhattacherjee, The Hindu: Sir, the Bangladesh foreign ministry has held a trilateral meeting with the Chinese and the Pakistani foreign ministries. It is an inaugural trilateral. Do you have a comment on that? Because they have said they share a common approach on multiple issues.
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay. So, Samira, first your questions regarding India-Canada. See, that particular matter is under judicial process right now. So, we will have to see how it goes. It is a legal issue. As far as India-Canada relations is concerned, you would have seen that we had the meeting of Prime Ministers. It was a very productive and a positive meeting. And both sides underlined the need to pursue a constructive and balanced partnership. So, we are looking forward to strengthening our partnership with Canada in several respects. You know, in economic side, trade side, energy side, on mobility side, student exchange, we have a lot of business to do with [inaudible] Canada, and we look forward to it.
Sudhi, see, as far as energy purchases are concerned, as we have said before as well, these are dependent on market conditions, as to what is available, what is the pricing that is available, as also what is the prevailing situation. So, we will have to wait and see, you know, how things shape and evolve.
On your questions regarding White House invitation. We have noted the visit. I have no further comment to make. As far as India-U.S. relationship is concerned, let me remind you that our partnership with United States is wide ranging, grounded in shared democratic values and growing strategic convergence. A comprehensive global strategic partnership between India and United States continues to receive high level attention and is manifested in sustained dialogue and cooperation across sectors from trade to critical technology to energy, defense, and several other fields. We remain confident in the trajectory of this most consequential partnership of the 21st century.
Gautam, your question was on trade issues with Bangladesh. The trade-related amendments announced by India in respect of Bangladesh were based on Bangladesh's own quest for fairness, equal treatment, and reciprocity. We await resolution of the underlying issues pending with the Bangladeshi side for a long time. These issues have been raised by India at several structured meetings earlier, including at the Commerce Secretary level talks.
Vishal agle videsh ka yatra Pradhanmantri ke ... uske baare mein aapko vistrit jaankari di jaayegi. Mera maanna hai ki ek aadh din mein hum log iski ek press vigyapti jaari karenge aur saath hi saath shayad Somvaar ko hum log ek press briefing bhi karenge jismein aapko bataya jaayega ki kya-kya is daure par kaun-kaun sa desh aur kya-kya program hai hamara.
[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi: Vishal, you will be given detailed information about the Prime Minister's upcoming foreign visit. I believe that within a day or so, we will issue a press release on this, and possibly on Monday, we will also hold a press briefing where you will be informed about which countries are part of the visit and what the planned agenda is.]
Kallol, on the trilateral meeting that you referred to. See, we maintain a constant watch on the developments in our neighbourhood that have a bearing on our interest and our security. Our relations with individual countries, while they stand on their own footing, take into account the evolving context as well.
Agni Roy, ABP: Sir, this is Agni from ABP. It has been reported that India is trying hard to renegotiate, renew the Ganges water treaty with Bangladesh. Since, it is going to be expired in 2026. Can you throw some light on this?
Dhairya Maheshwari, Sputnik News: Good evening, Sir. Sir, any word on the rescheduling of the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov since it was postponed or deferred this month? Thank you, Sir.
Ajay Banerjee, the Tribune: Sir, good evening. I am Ajay Banerjee from the Tribune. Sir, I need a little clarification on a press note detailed from Mr. Doval's visit to China. It said that the two sides discussed about the possibility of the next SR level talks. That is of course stated. But are the SR level talks actually progressing to have a discussion or a resolution for the pending dispute which Prime Minister Modi and President Xi had tasked the two SRs in Kazan, Russia in October last year. Are they actually progressing or stalled? What is the position?
Aditya, India News/ NewsX: Sir, this is Aditya. Sir, just wanted to inquire that at this juncture Europe wants that America should put sanctions on Russia. But the statement of US Secretary Marco Rubio has come that still there will be no sanctions against Russia, because it is not stopping the Ukraine war. Sir, any comments from your side?
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Agni, first your question regarding Ganga treaty. Both India and Bangladesh, we share 54 rivers, which also includes the Ganga. To discuss all relevant issues that form part of this cooperation, the two countries have bilateral mechanism in place, which is the Joint Rivers Commission. We also have consultations of concerned state governments, representatives in our own internal consultations on such issues to frame our approach. We are prepared to engage with Bangladesh on all matters in an environment that is conducive for mutually beneficial dialogue.
Dhairya, I dont have any update on the visit of the Foreign Minister of Russia. As and when we have an update for you, we will share with you.
Ajay, regarding SR talks ... as and when we have SR level talks, we have kept you updated of the progress of the developments that have happened. I understand that the next SR level talks have to happen in India. For which we had issued ... when the National Security Advisor met with Foreign Minister of China. After that, there was a Press Release that was issued, where we conveyed to you that the 24th round of Special Representative talks will be held in India at a mutually convenient date. So, we will keep you informed of the progress that is made in that account.
Aditya, regarding sanctions etc. that you referred to, at this point in time I dont have any comment to make.
Gautam Lahiri: Thank you. Gautam Lahiri. There are reports that one Durga temple has been vandalized on the demand of the extremist elements of the Bangladesh, and the local administration had to demolish that. What do you have to say about this?
Huma Siddiqui, StratNews Global: Sir, now that the US has announced lifting of sanctions on Iran, would India be looking at importing crude from them?
Manas, Press Trust of India: Manas from PTI. So, India refused to endorse the SCO statement on Iran but we just signed off the statement by BRICS. So, the BRICS statement was very ambiguous. It did not refer to US strikes or Israeli strikes on Iran but it said the strikes on Iran. So, I mean how we positioned ourselves in these two scenarios because we endorsed BRICS and not endorsing the SCO.
Kallol Bhattacherjee, The Hindu: Kallol from The Hindu. Sir, during the strikes on Iran, Israel targeted the nuclear scientists and also certain universities in Iran. What is India's position on targeting science students and scientists whose profession is to research and develop science and scientific institutions etc.?
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay. So, Gautam, first your question regarding what has happened in Dhaka. We understand that extremists were clamoring for demolishing the Durga temple in Khilkhet, Dhaka.
The interim government, instead of providing security to the temple, projected the episode as illegal land use allowing ... and they allowed the destruction of the temple today. This has resulted in damage to the deity before it was shifted. We are dismayed that such incidents continue to recur in Bangladesh. Let me underline that it is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindus, their properties, and religious institutions.
Huma, your questions regarding Iran. As I told you that our energy requirements or energy purchases that we do, it is based on market factors as also the prevailing global situation.
Manas, your questions regarding our position. I would request you to look at the statement that we issued on the developments in West Asia, that clearly expresses our position that we were deeply concerned, and thereafter we called for de-escalation and also dialogue and diplomacy to be adopted for bringing peace and stability in the region.
Kallol, again on your question regarding nuclear targets, etc. As you would have seen in our statement earlier as well, we expressed deep concerns about the recent escalation of the situation in West Asia, including the attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities. Subsequently, we have welcomed the ceasefire as you would have seen. India is closely following updates from IAEA about the radiation levels in the affected sites. We have noted that so far IAEA has reported that the targeted facilities either confirmed no nuclear material, or small quantities of natural or low enriched uranium, and that radioactive contamination has been limited to the buildings affected by the strikes. We urge return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy for an early restoration of regional peace, security, and stability.
So with that, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for your participation, and for all your questions.
Thank you.
New Delhi
June 26, 2025
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