Jakarta, May 23: Indonesia’s senior minister announced on Friday that the government will extend its work-from-home policy for civil servants, employees of state-owned enterprises, and private sector workers for an additional two months due to ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
According to reports from the Xinhua news agency, Airlangga Hartarto, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, stated that the government is closely monitoring developments in the Middle East. However, he did not specify the exact date for implementing this extension.
Under this policy, government employees will work from home on Fridays, while office operations will continue from Monday to Thursday. Private and state-owned companies are permitted to implement work-from-home arrangements for one day each week.
The government assured that this arrangement will not affect employees’ salaries, benefits, or annual leave entitlements.
Exemptions apply to sectors that require on-site operations, such as healthcare, energy, infrastructure, public services, retail, manufacturing, and tourism. The government indicated that the policy may be further extended based on global developments.
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Iran, stating that the U.S. will not allow Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons. He cautioned that failure to prevent this could lead to a significant conflict extending beyond the Middle East.
Trump emphasized that preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power is a top priority of his administration’s foreign policy. He stated, “We cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons. A nuclear war in the Middle East will eventually reach here and spread to Europe.”
He mentioned that discussions with Iran are ongoing but insisted that the outcome must be decisive.
Trump also addressed reports suggesting that Iran is planning to formalize toll charges on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. He described the Strait as one of the world’s most critical oil shipping lanes and asserted that the U.S. wants this maritime route to remain open and free for international navigation.
He reiterated, “We want to keep it open, we want to keep it free. We do not want tolls.”
The President claimed that the U.S. military has effectively controlled maritime traffic linked to Iran through naval operations. He stated, “No ship has entered without our approval. The Navy has done a great job.”
He further noted that the U.S. military has significantly diminished the capabilities of the Iranian military through attacks and operations. Trump asserted, “We have decimated their navy. We have eliminated their air capabilities. I would say we have destroyed about 85% of their missile capacity.”
He also mentioned that during the conflict, the U.S. has rapidly enhanced its drone and anti-drone capabilities, stating, “We have tremendous technology for both creating and downing drones.”
When asked whether Iran would be allowed to retain a large stockpile of enriched uranium under any future agreement, Trump responded firmly, “No, we will take any highly enriched uranium.”
He added that the stockpile would likely be destroyed after being secured by the U.S., stating, “We do not need it. We do not want it. We will probably destroy it once we obtain it.”
Trump has repeatedly emphasized that the issue of Iran is more critical than domestic political disputes or economic issues. He concluded, “I cannot think of anything more important than preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons.”
Leave a Comment