Indonesia stays out of UK-France Hormuz naval plan

Indonesia has decided against joining a multinational naval mission proposed by the United Kingdom and France to secure the commercial shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.

“The (mission) was being discussed... But we (Indonesia) must not be involved. It will violate our neutral stance. It goes against our ‘free and active’ (policy),” Foreign Minister Sugiono told journalists in Jakarta, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu.

Jakarta Globe reported that Sugiono made the remarks after participating in a virtual summit co-hosted by the UK and France last week.

At least two Indonesian tankers have reportedly remained stranded in the Persian Gulf since Iran imposed control over the Strait of Hormuz amid its conflict with the United States.

The United States forces have also imposed their own blockade of Iranian ports, which remains in place despite President Donald Trump extending the ceasefire.

Iran on Thursday said it had collected its first revenue from tolls imposed on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono also rejected the idea that Jakarta could impose a levy on transit through the Strait of Malacca, calling such a move illegal under the long-standing maritime treaty, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, who leads Southeast Asia’s largest economy, had earlier suggested Indonesia could mirror Iran’s approach by imposing fees on ships passing through the Strait of Malacca.

The Strait of Malacca—shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore—is a key global maritime route connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans and is often compared with strategic chokepoints such as Hormuz, Suez, and Panama.

However, Sugiono dismissed the proposal, stating: “As an archipelagic state, we must respect international law: the UNCLOS. This law recognizes Indonesia as an archipelagic state, provided that we do not impose levies (on transiting ships).”

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev