Indonesia considers it important for the Iran-US peace process and calls for negotiations to continue

JAKARTA - Indonesia considers it important for the peace process between Iran and the United States, calling for the continuation of the negotiation process, when the two countries are again involved in an escalation in the Middle East.

Iran and the US are back at each other's throats this week, after a series of ceasefire attempts and dialogue since April until last month with Pakistani mediation.

"Indonesia calls on all parties to refrain from actions that could aggravate the situation, de-escalate, prioritize dialogue, respect international law and continue the negotiation process," said the spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yvonne Mewengkang, in a press statement in Jakarta, Thursday (9/7).

As previously reported, Iran is reported to have attacked several merchant ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz in recent days.

US CENTCOM later announced it had carried out an attack on Iran that hit more than 80 targets, in response to Iran's move.

Afterwards, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched missiles and drones targeting 85 US military sites, including the Salman Port, the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and the Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait.

The current escalation comes as Iran and the US continue to finalize efforts to end the tensions that have occurred in recent months.

"Indonesia considers it important for the US-Iran peace process to maintain regional security and peace, and to restore maritime security, especially in the Strait of Hormuz," explained Yvonne.

It is known that the US-Israel attacked Tehran and a number of other cities in Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a number of other officials, in addition to civilian casualties and injuries on February 28.

Iran responded by launching attacks on Israeli territory and US-related facilities in countries in the region.

The US-Iran then agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8 which was later extended with Pakistani mediation.

On June 18, Iran and the US agreed on a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding signed online by President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which aimed to end the military conflict, followed by the Lake Lucerne Summit on June 21.