India, March 16 -- Close to 650 Indian nationals have crossed over from Iran to Armenia and Azerbaijan through land border crossings in order to return home, the external affairs ministry said on Monday against the backdrop of Israel and the US's war against Iran.

More than 550 Indians entered Armenia from Iran in recent days, while about 90 more crossed over into Azerbaijan, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a media briefing on the situation in West Asia. "These movements were facilitated by our embassy in Tehran. We helped them with visas and immigration formalities where required," he said.

The group of Indians who crossed into Armenia included 284 Indians who had gone to Iran on pilgrimage. "Some of them ha...