Indonesia Urges US-Iran De-escalation After Strait of Hormuz Clash

Indonesia has urged the United States and Iran to continue exercising restraint and commit to the agreed ceasefire, following renewed military escalation this week. “We certainly want to continue pushing the parties to immediately return to the negotiating table and realise a ceasefire,” said Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir at the Parliamentary Complex in Jakarta on Thursday. Speaking after a working meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives, the deputy minister said Indonesia deeply regretted that the US and Iran were now once again attacking each other and engaging in armed contact, causing new tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. He stated that the continuing war not only impacts the communities in the conflicting countries, namely the US and Iran, but also many other nations. “We again call on all parties to immediately return to a ceasefire and negotiations,” the deputy minister said. Clashes between Iranian and United States forces erupted in the early hours of Thursday morning local time in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, while the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters announced the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by Xinhua. Initial reports indicated that several US vessels near the Strait of Hormuz were targeted by missile and drone attacks launched by the Iranian armed forces. Explosions were also reported in the Sirik and Minab areas, as well as the port city of Bandar Abbas, all in Hormozgan Province, and on Qeshm and Hengam islands. Meanwhile, Iran’s air defence systems were activated in the western part of the capital Tehran and in the southern Fars Province, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency. Following the incident, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters announced that the Strait of Hormuz was closed to all types of vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships, due to security threats in the shipping lane. The regional tensions, which began on 28 February following a joint US-Israeli strike on Iran, have triggered a series of military confrontations, retaliatory attacks, and diplomatic tensions.