June 20, 2025
JAKARTA – The government has held back from issuing an evacuation order to Indonesian citizens in Iran, despite many countries’ call for evacuation for their citizens amid rising concerns of continued bombardment and further escalations between Iran and Israel.
Iran’s security status will remain on level 2 alert until further escalations, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, while assuring that a contingency plan has been readied to respond to any changes in the situation.
Officials have communicated with Indonesian citizens in Iran to check on their conditions and inform them of contingencies prepared by the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran, said the ministry’s citizen protection director Judha Nugraha.
“Coordination with relevant ministries and agencies have also taken place to ensure that Indonesian citizens will be received well back home whenever an evacuation order has been issued by the government,” Judha said during a press briefing on Tuesday.
The ministry recorded at least 386 citizens residing in Iran, most of whom are students in the city of Qom, some 140 kilometers south of Tehran.
Meanwhile, at least 194 Indonesian citizens are currently in Israel, composed primarily of student interns.
There were an additional 42 Indonesian travelers who were stranded in Jerusalem upon the closing of Israeli airspace and its Ben Gurion International Airport. All of them have been repatriated safely to Indonesia through Jordan, according to Judha.
Read also: Israel-Iran battle escalates, civilians urged to evacuate target areas
The Indonesian embassies in Tehran and Amman continue to maintain close communication with citizens in Iran and Israel, who had been advised to be on high alert and practice increased caution.
The Foreign Ministry also advised travelers to avoid going to both countries and other high-risk nations, such as Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.
Iranian Ambassador for Indonesia Mohammad Boroujerdi told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday that Tehran would stand ready to assist Indonesia evacuate its citizens whenever an order has been issued.
Leave order
Tensions continue to increase six days after Israel launched a military strike aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure, which was responded to with retaliatory missile attacks.
The conflict has since shown no signs of deescalating. On Wednesday, the Israeli military said that 50 fighter jets struck about 20 targets in Tehran overnight, while intercepting a total of 10 drone attacks launched from Iran. Among the struck targets were two centrifuge production facilities, as reported by AFP.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to be launching hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles at Tel Aviv.
On Tuesday, United States President Donald Trump urged “everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran”, sparking fresh concerns for a possible escalation in the Iran-Israel bombardments.
While not directly involved in the conflict, the US has remained faithful to its alliance with Tel Aviv as it deployed military assets to the Middle East to back Israel.
Thousands of Tehran residents started fleeing the city in the past week, while countries began preparing for the worst and seeking emergency exits for their citizens.
More than 700 foreigners living in Iran had crossed into neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia, according to officials in Baku and Yerevan on Tuesday, AFP reported.
A spokesperson for the Thai government said on Tuesday that it ordered its military to prepare planes to evacuate citizens from both Middle Eastern countries. There are around 40,000 Thais currently living in Israel, most of whom are working on farms under a government labor scheme, and around 300 living in Iran.
Read also: Israel ‘doing dirty work for all of us’ in Iran: Merz
Iranian officials called Trump’s evacuation order as part of the US and Israel’s “psychological warfare” tactics to intimidate Iran.
On Wednesday, the Iranian army issued an evacuation order to Tel Aviv residents, warning of imminent “punitive” attacks.
At least 24 people have been killed in Israel as of Monday. On the other hand, Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, according to Iran’s claim, including civilians.
Boiling point
Amid escalating conflicts in the Middle East, top envoys of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) agreed to meet in Istanbul over the weekend to discuss the latest developments in the region. The meeting also aims to map out a joint strategy to respond to Israel’s unabating military campaigns.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Rolliansyah Soemirat confirmed that Foreign Minister Sugiono would attend the Istanbul talks, underlining Jakarta’s stance that further attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities will only destabilize the region and endanger more lives.
Sugiono is also expected to push for the OIC’s internal reform to improve its adaptability and efficiency in responding to crises, Rolliansyah said.
Following the first strike against Iran last week, Indonesia issued a statement condemning Israel’s attack, calling it an unlawful act that undermines international law and the Middle East’s fragile geopolitical landscape.