JAKARTA - Indonesia, under President Prabowo Subianto, is preparing a phased evacuation of at least 15 Indonesians from Tehran via Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, as tensions between Iran, the US and Israel escalate.

Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono said Jakarta is closely monitoring the security situation as it’s staying in contact with Iran, “They must be evacuated from Tehran and taken to Baku (Azerbaijan). From Tehran to Baku, it's a 10-hour land journey.”

“It should be noted that not all Indonesian citizens in the affected areas have expressed a desire to be evacuated,” Minister Sugiono continued. “However, as previously stated, several have expressed their willingness to be evacuated from Iranian territory, and I have ordered the gradual evacuation.”

Sugiono has previously confirmed that all 329 Indonesians registered with the embassy in Iran are safe amid the US-Israel strikes on Iran, while tens of thousands of Indonesian umrah pilgrims in Saudi Arabia are stranded due to flight disruptions. 

Most Indonesians in Iran live in cities such as Tehran, Qom and Isfahan, and many are students or long-term residents rather than formal migrant labourers.

President Prabowo 's offer to mediate between Iran and the United States amid heavy strikes was welcomed by Iran’s embassy in Jakarta, but a senior foreign policy expert at home called the idea “unrealistic" and a “political suicide.”

“As an independent political scientist and a former Indonesian diplomat, I wonder why this idea wasn't filtered before being announced, as it's highly unrealistic,” said Dino Patti Djalal, a former Deputy Foreign Minister. “America's ego as a superpower is too high to accept that.”

Earlier in a press conference on March 2, Mohammad Boroujerdi, Iran’s ambassador to Indonesia, said that foreign nationals in Iran were “not given time to leave” before US-Israeli strikes began, which left many caught off guard as embassies scrambled to arrange evacuations.

“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,” said the ambassador.