Evacuation of Indonesian Citizens from Iran Carried Out in Stages
The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the evacuation of Indonesian citizens (WNI) from Iran will be conducted in stages amid the escalating war situation between Iran and the United States-Israel.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yvonne Mewengkang said the first evacuation wave is currently underway, involving 32 people.
‘The evacuation process is conducted based on a comprehensive assessment of the on-the-ground security situation and monitoring of Indonesian citizens by Indonesian representations,’ she said when contacted on Saturday, 7 March 2026.
Yvonne said the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran will continue to maintain intensive communication with Indonesians in Iran. In addition, the Ministry will routinely update contingency plans in line with the latest security developments.
Yvonne noted that, according to data of Indonesians registered on the Ministry’s PeduliWNI portal as of 2 March 2026, there are 329 Indonesians in Iran.
As for the number of Indonesians spread across the Middle East since the war escalated, they include: Saudi Arabia (361,147), United Arab Emirates (81,768), Qatar (27,647), Egypt (19,962), Oman (11,117). Then Bahrain (6,110), Kuwait (6,088), Jordan (1,946), Iraq (800), Syria (890), and Lebanon (939).
Yvonne urged travelling Indonesians to always upload the Safe Travel app for the latest developments. ‘If you are residing in a country and wish to register yourself at the Indonesian representation via the Peduli WNI portal,’ she said.
The Ministry stated that most of the Indonesians in Iran are students pursuing education there. A smaller number are migrant workers or Indonesians visiting.
‘So as has often been stated, there are 329 people in Iran and most are in the city of Qom,’ said Acting Director for Indonesian Citizens Protection at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heni Hamidah, in a press briefing broadcast via the ministry’s YouTube channel on Friday, 6 March 2026.
The first phase of evacuation will begin this week with 32 Indonesians repatriated. They will be evacuated via the Azerbaijan route. ‘As for the next evacuation plans, they will be decided by the Indonesian government after considering the latest security updates,’ said Heni.