Jakarta. Indonesia said Monday that it would not evacuate its citizens from Iran at least for now, as the Middle Eastern country witnesses a government crackdown on protesters. 

Iran is seeing its deadliest unrest in recent years. What started as protests over economic grievances has morphed into mass anti-government riots across at least 100 cities. Protesters are also facing an intensifying crackdown. Despite the latest escalations, Indonesia does not plan on evacuating its citizens, although this remains subject to change.

“Based on our assessment as well as the situation on the ground as of Jan. 12, we don’t see the need for evacuation,” a statement by the Foreign Ministry reads.

The ministry went on to say that they would “prepare a contingency plan” to anticipate any possible escalations to the security situation. 

As of June 2025, there are 386 Indonesians residing in Iran, most of whom are students. They mainly reside in Qom and Isfahan areas, where Jakarta claimed the security disruptions were not as severe. The Indonesian Embassy has prepared a hotline at +98 9914668845 / +98 902 466 8889. The ministry’s hotline is also available at +62 812-9007-0027.

The US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) reported that the death toll from the nationwide protests in Iran has jumped to 544 people. The Iranian government has not published the number of people killed during the demonstrations. The country’s internet blackout has now surpassed 84 hours, according to monitor Netblocks. 

US President Donald Trump has threatened military action in response to the brutal crackdown. Trump also recently claimed that Tehran had reached out to Washington for negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently said that his country was prepared for “any preemptive operations”, but remains open to dialogue "on the basis of dignity, mutual respect, and above all, our national interests”.