Indonesia repatriates 45 in 3rd evacuation wave from Iran as fragile truce holds

JAKARTA – Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry announced that it is carrying out a third evacuation wave from Iran, aiming to repatriate 45 Indonesians this week as a fragile ceasefire in the Middle East continues to hold.

As at April 16, 32 Indonesians had arrived at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten, while the remaining 13, all shipping crew, were awaiting the next available flight from Baku, the ministry’s citizen protection director Heni Hamidah said.

“Upon arrival in the country, the evacuees will be handed over to local authorities and relevant agencies for their onward return to their respective home regions,” Ms Heni told reporters.

The latest evacuation has been conducted in stages, with 14 people arriving on April 14, followed by nine on April 15 and another nine on April 16.

Countries worldwide have continued evacuating their citizens from Iran nearly two months after the first US and Israeli strikes on Tehran on Feb 28, as a fragile ceasefire, set to expire on April 22, holds. Negotiations, however, remained deadlocked.

Talks in Islamabad last weekend ended without a breakthrough, and threats of escalation have resurfaced. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned on April 16 that Washington was “locked and loaded” to resume full-scale military action against Tehran if negotiations fail.

Indonesia had conducted a string of evacuations from Iran since March, bringing home a total of 66 citizens. Evacuation efforts have relied on a land route from Tehran to Baku, which has become a key transit hub used by dozens of countries, before onward travel via limited commercial flights.

Following the latest repatriations, Ms Heni said that 236 Indonesians remain in Iran, most of them students residing in Qom, some 140km south of Tehran.

While historically considered relatively safe, Qom has in recent months come under increased risk.

Local authorities reported earlier in April that nearly 1,000 civilian buildings had been damaged and more than 100 people killed.

The Foreign Ministry did not respond immediately to The Jakarta Post’s inquiries about its upcoming plan for the fourth wave of evacuations in Iran.

Another front

Pressure to ensure the safety of Indonesian citizens in Lebanon has also grown in recent weeks, as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, though now under a ceasefire, have heightened risks to civilians and peacekeepers amid a still volatile and uncertain security situation.

Tensions have remained high despite a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon coming into effect on April 16, with Beirut already accusing Tel Aviv of violating the truce less than 24 hours after it was reached.

Ms Heni, speaking at the same briefing, said that the Indonesian Embassy in Lebanon has continued to closely monitor the whereabouts of its citizens, with 934 Indonesians currently recorded as staying in the country.

A total of 756 citizens are peacekeepers serving under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), while the remaining 178 are mostly students and expatriates married to locals.

“So far, we can confirm that all Indonesians in the country are safe. The embassy is also continuing to monitor developments and has contingency plans in place should the situation deteriorate,” Ms Heni said.

The escalation in March between Israel and Hezbollah has proven to be the deadliest period for Indonesia’s UNIFIL contingent in Lebanon, with three peacekeepers killed in two separate incidents.

Indonesia has urged for a thorough UN probe into the incidents, rallying more than 70 countries to urge for peacekeepers’ safety in the conflict zone. THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK