Indonesia to begin evacuating its citizens from Iran via Azerbaijan today

Indonesia will begin evacuating its citizens from Iran today, according to a foreign ministry official responsible for the welfare of citizens abroad, Report informs via Al Jazeera.

Speaking to reporters, Heni Hamidah said the evacuation process "will begin gradually today, and this first phase will be carried out via Azerbaijan."

A first group of 32 Indonesians are due to arrive in Jakarta on Monday or Tuesday, she said.

In total, there are 329 Indonesians in Iran, most of them students in the city of Qom.

Around half a million Indonesians live in Middle East countries, but Indonesia's government is not for the moment considering evacuations from other countries in the region, according to the ministry.