RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia has reported that 22 Indonesian citizens evacuated from Iran have returned to their homeland. This return is the first stage of a series of government efforts to ensure the safety of Indonesian citizens amid the conflict situation in the Middle East.

The citizens arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport using Turkish Airlines via the Baku, Azerbaijan route on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. The Indonesian government successfully repatriated the Indonesian citizens thru a well-prepared air evacuation route.

Upon their arrival in the homeland, the Indonesian citizens were directly welcomed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sugiono. "We welcome you back to Indonesia and wish you a joyful reunion with your families,"Sugiono stated while welcoming the evacuated Indonesian citizens.

He stated that the number is part of the first wave of the repatriation process. He added that the government has scheduled the return of other Indonesian citizens still in Iran in the near future.

"This afternoon, there are 22 of our brothers and sisters returning in this first wave." Tomorrow, 10 more from Iran," Sugiono conveyed, providing information at Soetta Airport, Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

Based on the records of the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran, there are currently 329 Indonesian citizens in Iran, primarily students concentrated in the city of Qom. Beside the first wave, there are still 36 other Indonesian citizens who have registered to participate in the second phase of repatriation.

In order to ensure the smoothness of the next evacuation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to monitor the situation on the ground in real-time thru representatives in Tehran. "We from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continue to coordinate quite closely, very closely with our representatives in those countries," he said.

Until now, the Indonesian government, thru its embassies in the affected areas, continues to assess the security situation hour by hour. The government also urges Indonesian citizens to postpone travel to the Middle East if it is not urgent for the sake of collective safety.