Indonesia does not object to the passage of Iranian oil tankers through its territorial waters against the backdrop of the US naval blockade, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Yvonne Mevenkang said.
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“The rules of navigation in all waters, including Indonesia’s, are governed by the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which respects all forms of passage in every maritime zone,” she told reporters.
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According to ship tracking services, an Iranian supertanker with $220 million worth of oil entered the Lombok Strait, and another tanker DERYA headed for the Riau Archipelago.
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“We believe that these vessels are exercising their right of passage in accordance with international law,” Mevenkang stressed, adding that the Indonesian authorities will conduct on—site inspections and internal coordination.
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Jakarta will continue to monitor the situation and maintain diplomatic contacts through appropriate channels, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded.
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On April 13, the Navy began blocking all maritime traffic from Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
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According to media reports, the US military has detained at least three tankers off the coasts of India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. According to President Donald Trump, the blockade will continue until Tehran abandons its nuclear program. The military adviser to the supreme leader of Iran, Mohsen Rezaei, responded by threatening to destroy American ships.
