Indonesia says ‘no’ to UK-France proposed Hormuz naval mission

Indonesia has decided against joining a multinational naval mission proposed by the UK and France to safeguard 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 reporters in Jakarta on Thursday.

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

At least two Indonesian tankers have remained stuck in the Persian Gulf since Iran imposed control over the Strait of Hormuz amid war with the US.

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

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

Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono also denied Jakarta would impose a levy on the transit of the Strait of Malacca, calling such a step illegal under the decades-old maritime treaty, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, the finance minister of Southeast Asia's largest economy, earlier this week had suggested Jakarta could copy Iran’s move by slapping a levy on ships transiting the Strait of Malacca.

The Strait of Malacca -- shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore -- is a crucial maritime artery linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans and is often compared to other strategic chokepoints such as Hormuz, Suez, and Panama.

But Sugiono dismissed the idea, saying: “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).”