Jakarta - The world was shaken when a combined assault by the United\nStates and Israel against Iran in late February caused massive\ninfrastructure damage and loss of life, including an attack on Iran\u2019s\nSupreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran subsequently launched\nretaliatory strikes against Israel and US military bases and assets\nscattered across nearly all nations in the Persian Gulf region, with\nIranian missiles and drones targeting Israeli territory and the Arabian\nPeninsula.<\/p>\n
Beyond launching missiles, Iran also blockaded the Strait of Hormuz,\none of the world\u2019s most critical shipping routes for oil and gas\ncommodities, in retaliation for the US-Israeli assault. Iranian military\nforces threatened to destroy any vessel attempting to pass through.<\/p>\n
With the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the consequences of the\nUS-Israeli-Iranian conflict have reached the economic sector, driving up\nglobal oil prices and raising concerns about the production of various\ncommodities, from vehicle fuel to fertilisers. Several nations, such as\nJapan, have had to release their emergency oil reserves to prevent an\nenergy crisis caused by supply disruptions.<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump initially joked that tankers could still\nsafely transit the Strait of Hormuz after the US had \u201cdestroyed\u201d Iranian\nnaval vessels, whilst dangling the prospect of protection from US\nwarships. However, after several vessels that attempted to breach the\nblockade were attacked, Trump has now asked other nations to share\nresponsibility for the security of their ships in the region, including\nhis trade rivals such as China.<\/p>\n
Besides China, Trump has also called upon France, Japan, South Korea\nand the United Kingdom to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. These\ncalls have yet to receive positive responses.<\/p>\n
Amidst Trump\u2019s continued pressure for military approaches to secure\nthe maritime region, several countries, including India, have\nsuccessfully secured the safety of their tankers in the Strait of Hormuz\nthrough dialogue with Tehran. After two Indian tankers safely transited\nthe Strait of Hormuz on Saturday 14 March, Indian Foreign Minister S\nJaishankar told the Financial Times that this demonstrated the success\nof diplomacy and showed that it was better to \u201cengage in dialogue and\ncoordination so that we can find solutions\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical passage for oil and LPG supplies\nfrom Gulf states to global markets, with 20 per cent of total trade in\nthese commodities passing through it.<\/p>\n
Given this, the crisis has inevitably impacted Indonesia, which\nreceives a portion of its energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.\nThe government has noted that approximately 20-25 per cent of\nIndonesia\u2019s crude oil imports are shipped through the strait between\nIran and Oman. Moreover, two tankers belonging to Pertamina\nInternational Shipping (PIS) have been reported stranded in the Persian\nGulf region, unable to transit the Strait of Hormuz due to the\nconflict.<\/p>\n
In response, the Indonesian government through its representatives in\nTehran has pursued intensive diplomatic engagement with Iranian\nauthorities to ensure that vessels carrying energy supplies to Indonesia\ncan safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz. \u201cWe will continue to push\nfor intensive diplomatic approaches regarding this specific issue, as it\nis crucial for us,\u201d said Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne\nMewengkang.<\/p>\n
According to the Indonesian Foreign Ministry\u2019s Director General for\nAsia-Pacific and Africa Santo Darmosumarto, the still-tense and\nunconducive conditions in the region require enhanced diplomatic efforts\nwith local authorities. Ongoing dialogue continues with various\nstakeholders in Iran to ensure that Pertamina\u2019s interests in the Strait\nof Hormuz remain secure amid the intensity of the conflict.<\/p>\n
Diplomacy as the primary step<\/p>\n
According to international relations expert from Padjadjaran\nUniversity Teuku Rezasyah, employing diplomacy as the primary means to\nprotect national economic interests hindered at the Strait of Hormuz\nenables nations to respond appropriately to regional dynamics. This\ndialogue approach can also maintain Tehran\u2019s trust during its conflict\nwith the US and Israel.<\/p>\n
Rezasyah believes that if nations resort to military escorts and\ndeploy warships to the Strait of Hormuz, as President Trump has called\nfor, Tehran may interpret this as a lack of confidence in diplomatic\nchannels. \u201cMilitary escorts can also be perceived as openly supporting\nthe United States,\u201d said the Padjadjaran University academic.<\/p>\n
Therefore, it is the correct approach for Indonesia to maintain\ncommunication with the Iranian government to ensure national interests,\nparticularly regarding energy security, are protected. He also cautioned\nthat Indonesia, whilst pursuing diplomacy to protect its energy\ninterests, must maintain good relations with Iran and respond wisely to\nTehran\u2019s retaliatory strikes against US and Israeli attacks.<\/p>\n
President Trump may have believed that the assault he launched\nagainst Iran would be as clean and successful as the military operation\nagainst Venezuela earlier this year. However, what has instead emerged\nis mounting anger from Tehran, which has launched retaliatory strikes\nand prolonged the conflict, openly spreading uncertainty throughout the\nPersian Gulf region.<\/p>\n
Amid ongoing tensions showing no signs of abating, coupled with\nglobal concerns over energy supplies, the world continues to place its\nhopes on diplomatic channels with Iran to protect energy interests. This\ndiplomatic approach also aligns with Iran\u2019s expectations, as conveyed by\nIranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on 12 March, who\nrequested that vessels \u201ccoordinate their movements with the Iranian Navy\nfor navigation safety\u201d.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/as-hormuz-crisis-threatens-global-energy-diplomacy-offers-hope-1773669270", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }