JAKARTA - Indonesia through Tehran continues to carry out intensive diplomatic approaches with Iran, regarding ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz amid the tensions in the Middle East.
Two PT Pertamina International Shipping (PIS) ships, the Gamsunoro and the VLCC (oil tanker) Pertamina Pride are still stuck in the Middle East and are waiting for safe conditions to leave the Strait of Hormuz, as the escalation in the Middle East continues.
Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yvonne Mewengkang, said that the government through the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran continued to carry out intensive diplomacy so that Indonesian ships could safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
"We continue to make intensive diplomatic approaches with the Iranian authorities, to ensure that our ships can pass through the Strait of Hormuz safely," said Yvonne in a press statement in Jakarta, Friday (13/3).
"The number one concentration is the safety of our Indonesian citizens," said Yvonne.
It is known that tensions have increased in the Middle East, following the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran on February 28, which Tehran said killed more than 1,300 people, including Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader, and more than 150 students.
Since then, Iran has launched drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf states hosting US military assets.
Tehran has also effectively tightened the Strait of Hormuz since March 1. This narrow waterway transports around 20 million barrels of oil per day and about 20 percent of global liquefied natural gas trade.
Most recently, the new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, in a statement read by a presenter on state television on Thursday said Iranian forces must keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed, as quoted by Al Arabiya and AFP.
Yvonne assured that the government would continue to approach Iran, considering the importance of the Strait of Hormuz issue.
"Our ambassador in Tehran continues to communicate with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant authorities regarding this, we will continue to push an intensive diplomatic approach regarding this specific issue, because this is a very crucial issue," he said.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson II Vahd Nabyl A. Mulachela on the same occasion said that Indonesia sees access to sea transportation in the Strait of Hormuz as important for the whole world.
"The conditions in the Middle East (cause) widespread effects experienced by various countries. We hope that the US and Israel will stop their attacks on Iran, and Iran will stop its attacks on Middle Eastern countries," said Nabyl, adding that they will strive for a peaceful solution.
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