Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesian communities have donated at least Rp 9 billion (around $525,000) to the Iranian embassy-run donation drive so far, although the money is only a tiny fraction of the war losses that Tehran suffered.

On March 17, the Iranian Embassy in Indonesia began accepting donations following continued fighting with the US and Israel. The embassy's latest tally showed that as many as 24,369 people had taken part in the campaign as of April 14. More support is expected to pour in as the drive will continue until the end of the month.

"This mass participation reflects the solidarity, care, and deep brotherhood between our two nations. It shows how Indonesians truly uphold humanity and help those in need," the embassy wrote on its social media account on Wednesday.

They plan to distribute the funds via official channels, namely the Indonesian Red Cross, which will then send the aid to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. When the embassy first set up the drive, they said the money would go into helping the victims and the affected family members. They will also allocate a portion of the money for reconstruction. Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani put the damage bill from the US-Israeli military campaign at $270 billion, but this figure is only based on preliminary assessments.

"Damages usually have to be examined in several layers," Mohajerani told Russia's RIA Novosti.

Indonesians have demonstrated massive support since the February strikes that killed Iran's then-supreme leader Ali Khamenei. The support even goes beyond social media posts. Some truck drivers have painted portraits of Khamenei on the back of their vehicles. An Indonesian couple in Riau named their newborn "Ali Khamenei" as a tribute.

When the fighting erupted, President Prabowo Subianto offered to mediate an end to the conflict, even willing to fly to Tehran himself despite the continuous strikes. Pakistan later stepped in as a peace broker, which resulted in a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran. The truce is now hanging in the balance as Islamabad tries to reconvene negotiations before the ceasefire expires next Wednesday.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesians-donate-525000-for-iran-as-war-loss-hits-270-billio