PAN Urges Government to Prioritise Indonesian Citizens in Middle East Conflict Situation

A member of the House of Representatives Commission I from the PAN faction, Farah Puteri Nahlia, has urged the Indonesian government to make the protection of Indonesian nationals (WNI) a top priority in light of the large-scale armed conflict between the United States and Israel against Iran. She stated that efforts to ensure the safety of Indonesians, both those in Iran and in surrounding areas, cannot be delayed.

“The government must always be prepared to implement contingency plans and facilitate the evacuation of our citizens to safe locations as a form of mature anticipatory measures. This readiness must not only apply to those at the conflict’s epicentre, but must also include enhanced security measures for all Indonesians in the region, particularly Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) in Gulf countries,” Farah told reporters on Monday (2 March 2026).

Farah appreciated the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) and the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran for implementing Alert Status 1 for 329 Indonesian nationals in Iran. However, she urged the government to implement additional and comprehensive protective measures in line with the rapid escalation.

Additionally, Farah also highlighted the impact of escalation on the mobility of citizens, particularly Indonesian umrah pilgrims who are currently or planning to return from pilgrimage. She called on the Indonesian government to immediately ensure the safety of air routes and facilitate the smooth return of pilgrims to Indonesia.

“This conflict naturally has a direct impact on the safety of flight routes for Indonesian umrah pilgrims returning from pilgrimage. For this reason, we ask the relevant ministries to immediately coordinate intensively with aviation authorities and airlines to ensure the safety of air routes and the smooth return of our pilgrims to the homeland,” she added.

Furthermore, Farah supported President Prabowo Subianto’s high-level diplomatic initiative to serve as a mediator in the conflict. In her view, this initiative represents an effort to prevent the risk of a wider crisis.

“We fully support the Indonesian President’s initiative to facilitate dialogue. With the credibility we possess, Indonesia is ready to serve as a mediator to prevent wider humanitarian and economic crises,” she concluded.