Foreign Ministry Ensures 720 Indonesians Affected by Middle East Flight Disruptions Will Be Repatriated Soon

Hundreds of Indonesian citizens (WNI) who were temporarily stranded in the Middle East due to flight disruptions are now being handled and will soon be repatriated to Indonesia.

“At present, there are 720 WNI stranded due to flight disruptions in various regions of the Middle East, and they are already being managed while awaiting flights back to the homeland,” said Acting Director for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry (Kemlu RI), Heni Hamidah, during a media briefing in Jakarta on Wednesday (8/4).

Heni explained that to date, Indonesian representatives in various Middle Eastern countries have assisted in the independent repatriation of 2,284 WNI. This figure does not include Indonesian umrah pilgrims who have faced similar issues.

Furthermore, she stated that the Foreign Ministry, along with all Indonesian representatives in the region, continues to conduct intensive monitoring of the situation’s developments, particularly in the Gulf region and Iran, in line with the dynamics of the conflict between the United States and Iran, which has now entered a ceasefire phase.

In addition, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) routinely communicates with the Indonesian community still in the Middle East to ensure their conditions remain monitored.

Meanwhile, there are still 281 WNI in Iran, including 35 crew members currently in the coastal areas of that country.

Heni also emphasised that the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran is preparing the next wave of evacuations for WNI in Iran who wish to return to Indonesia.

The evacuation process is being carefully designed, taking into account the latest security situation on the ground. This includes determining safe travel routes, from assembly points to departure locations in transit countries.

“The Embassy continues to refine plans for the next stage of evacuation by contacting WNI who have expressed readiness to be evacuated,” said Heni, although she did not specify the exact number of WNI who will soon be evacuated from Iran.

Previously, US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran and stated that the Strait of Hormuz would soon be reopened.

Following up on this, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) confirmed that talks with the US side are scheduled for Friday (10/4) in Islamabad, Pakistan.