JAKARTA - As the tension escalates between Iran, Israel, the United States, calls for embassies in Tehran to evacuate their citizens are growing loud. 

Iran’s ambassador to Indonesia, Mohammad Boroujerdi, spoke to Indonesian media during a press conference in Jakarta on March 2. Speaking through a translator, he said that “every day many embassies or foreign entities communicate with the Iranian Foreign Ministry to evacuate their citizens.”

“And all of this happened because the United States regime suddenly attacked Iran without any warning and did not give foreign citizens in Iran the opportunity to leave our country,” he continued.

The Indonesian Embassy in Tehran reports that around 329 Indonesian citizens, who mostly are students in the cities of Qom in Iran, are being monitored and are currently safe.

“Regarding Iran, the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran has stated that its Ambassador has coordinated with Indonesian citizen nodes in various cities and is conducting two-way communication,” said Amelia Anggraini, a member of Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR) in a statement to Indonesia's major outlet Kompas.

The conflict erupted on February 28 when U.S. and Israeli forces carried out coordinated strikes across Iran, including in Tehran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top military commanders. 

Later, the strikes also hit a girls' school in Minab where Iranian authorities report about 148 people killed.

In retaliation, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched multiple waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and American military bases across the Gulf, including in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

Tehran has also declared the closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 % of global oil trade passes, and threatened to attack any vessel attempting transit.

“We have made very thorough preparations to protect the lives and property of our people. And several good measures have been taken. We have identified our weaknesses and turned them into strengths,” he added.