JAKARTA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's rupiah weakened past the 18,000-per-U.S.-dollar psychological mark on Thursday morning amid global uncertainty and stronger-than-expected U.S. economic data.

The currency fell 0.27 percent to 18,015 per U.S. dollar, bringing its decline this year to more than 7 percent, according to market data cited by Antara, the national news agency.

Analysts said demand for the U.S. dollar was supported by rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and solid U.S. employment and services sector data, while domestic market sentiment remained subdued.

"The rupiah is expected to remain under pressure against the strengthening U.S. dollar," currency analyst Lukman Leong told Antara, adding that the currency could remain volatile within a range of 17,900 to 18,050 per dollar.

Bank Indonesia said on Wednesday that it would continue taking "consistent and measured" measures to stabilize the rupiah by optimizing its policy instruments and maintaining adequate foreign exchange liquidity.

On May 20, Bank Indonesia raised its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 5.25 percent to strengthen the stability of the Indonesian rupiah amid worsening global conditions, ending an eight-month streak of holding rates unchanged. ■