Sumedang, West Java (ANTARA) - The government is working to evacuate around 380 citizens from Iran, which is currently embroiled in an intense conflict with Israel.However, some Indonesian nationals have declined to leave, according to Deputy Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus, on Tuesday.
“They are reluctant to evacuate due to the long journey involved,” Paulus said. “The trip from Tehran to [Baku in] Azerbaijan takes 16 hours by land, followed by a government-arranged flight.”
He added that the government has urged Indonesian citizens in Iran and neighboring countries to remain vigilant and prepare for a possible escalation of the conflict.
The first group of evacuees from Iran was scheduled to arrive in Jakarta on Tuesday evening.
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“Indonesian citizens in Iran have been evacuated, and the first group will arrive tonight,” Paulus said.
Although some citizens have chosen to stay, the government has encouraged all of them to return to Indonesia for their safety.
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“We have offered them the option to return. In accordance with the Ministry of Defense’s principles, our defense attachés are coordinating with Indonesian embassies to monitor the situation and assist with security plans,” he said.
The first evacuation group included 96 Indonesian nationals, among them three embassy staff and one foreign citizen married to an Indonesian.
Prior to the evacuation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised the security status of the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran from alert level 2 to level 1 on June 19 due to deteriorating conditions.
