Foreign Ministry Seeks Swift Return of 720 Detained Indonesians Due to US-Iran War

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) has stated that hundreds of Indonesian citizens (WNI) remain stranded due to the war in West Asia. They are held up because numerous flights have been cancelled as a result of the US-Israel and Iran conflict. “There are 720 WNI who are stranded due to flight disruptions in various regions in the Middle East and are already being handled while awaiting flights back to the homeland,” said Acting Director for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens (PWNI) Heni Hamidah during a press conference at Kemlu in Central Jakarta on Wednesday (8/4/2026). Heni mentioned that there are still hundreds of WNI and dozens of ship crew members (ABK) stranded due to the war. The ABK are held on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. “Currently, there are approximately 281 WNI recorded in Iranian territory, 35 of whom are ABK on ships near the Iranian coast,” she explained. Heni said that Kemlu is communicating with the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran for both resident and non-resident WNI. Now, Kemlu is planning to evacuate WNI from Iran. “The embassy continues to refine the next phase evacuation plan by contacting WNI who have expressed readiness to be evacuated,” she said. She stated that the evacuation plan will be adjusted to the current conditions and the situation on the ground. The reason is to ensure the safety of those WNI. “Considering that it is necessary to ensure that the movement of those WNI is also carried out through safe routes, both when heading to the gathering point and the movement to the evacuation destination point in another country,” she said.