Why Did the US Warship Pass Through the Malacca Strait? This is the Explanation from the Indonesian Navy

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Head of the Navy Information Service (Kadispen) of the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL), First Admiral Tunggul, has responded to the detection of the US Navy warship USS Miguel Keith moving in the waters east of Belawan, Malacca Strait.

He stated that the US warship has the right to pass through.

“Regarding foreign ships passing through the Malacca Strait, ships, including warships, passing through those waters have the right of Transit Passage in straits used for international navigation,” Tunggul told Kompas.com on Sunday (19/4/2026).

“As we all know, Indonesia has ratified UNCLOS 1982 through Law Number 17 of 1985 on the Ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” he explained.

Thus, Tunggul said, all ships exercising the right of transit passage in the Malacca Strait, which is an international shipping route, are obliged to respect Indonesia as the coastal state.

Previously, international media reports emerged stating that the US military would expand operations to hunt tankers linked to Iran to the Indo-Pacific region, including areas around the Malacca Strait.