The Indian Navy ships will bring back stranded Indian nationals from Iran as part of the Samudra Setu initiative which rescue Indians during the ongoing COVID19 pandemic.

The return of Indians from Iran's Bandar Abbas to Porbandar in Gujarat will begin on Monday. The Indian embassy in Iran is preparing a list of citizens who will be evacuated and will facilitate their return after the necessary medical screening, said a Navy official as reported by a news daily.

The Indians will be brought back onboard INS Shardul. The Navy said that the ship has been equipped for the evacuation operation and the staff will follow social distancing norms.

As part of the initiative, Indian Naval ships Jalashwa and Magar have already evacuated 2,874 personnel from the Maldives and Sri Lanka. INS Jalashwa returned to Tuticorin with 700 Indian nationals stranded in the Maldives on Sunday.