Announcement! Foreign Minister Sugiono Announces Plan to Evacuate 15 Indonesian Citizens from Tehran

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Foreign Minister Sugiono said the government will evacuate 15 Indonesian citizens from Tehran, Iran. He told reporters at the Presidential Palace Complex on Wednesday evening, 4 March 2025. ‘Earlier today I ordered our ambassador in Tehran (Rolliansyah Soemirat) to take immediate evacuation steps,’ he said. However, according to Sugiono, the move depends on the individuals themselves. Not all Indonesians in the affected area have indicated a wish to be evacuated. ‘But there were some who expressed willingness to be evacuated from Iran, and I have instructed authorities to carry out the phased evacuation,’ Sugiono added. The number of people who expressed willingness to be evacuated from Tehran stands at 15. Nevertheless, the secretary-general of the Gerakan Indonesia Raya Party said he could not yet confirm when the evacuation would take place. ‘This is being scheduled—airspace is also closed. If evacuations from Tehran proceed, they will need to be taken to Baku, Azerbaijan. Tehran to Baku is about 10 hours; the journey requires logistical assessment, checking whether people are healthy, and so on. So it cannot be evacuated today,’ he said. Furthermore, Sugiono said that to date there has been no request from Indonesians in neighbouring Iran for evacuation, including those in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. ‘These 15 have expressed willingness due to logistics and the long journey,’ Sugiono added.