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

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 earlier Middle East countries, but Indonesia’s government is not for the moment considering evacuations from other countries in the region, according to the ministry.