Expert: US-Iran Mediation by Prabowo Will Be Difficult Without Careful Planning

Jakarta — President Prabowo Subianto’s intention to mediate the dispute between the United States and Iran is valued as being grounded in Indonesia’s track record of mediating various conflicts in the past, though such efforts will be difficult without careful planning.

Teuku Rezasyah, an international relations expert at Padjadjaran University, said the intention aligns with the mandate of the 1945 Constitution which encourages Indonesia to play a role in creating world peace.

“This idea also demonstrates President Prabowo’s hope to share Indonesia’s best experience in mediating conflicts, as has been practised in the past,” Rezasyah said in a written statement in Jakarta on Sunday (1 March).

Nevertheless, he assessed that such efforts are not easy because they require approval from the conflicting parties, namely the United States, Israel, and Iran.

Indonesia, according to Rezasyah, has experience mediating internal conflicts in several Southeast Asian countries, such as in southern Thailand and southern Philippines. Indonesia also previously brought together Thailand and Cambodia whilst serving as ASEAN chair in 2011 under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

However, to bring Iran together with the US and Israel, Indonesia first needs to convince all parties regarding its neutrality and objectivity as a mediator.

Additionally, Iran may not necessarily want Israel’s presence in the negotiation forum, whilst Indonesia also does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, he said.

“Because of this, Indonesia needs to have a roadmap for each stage of the negotiations that demonstrates a deep understanding of the crisis and the objectives it wishes to achieve,” said the academic.

Previously, in response to a series of large-scale attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, Indonesia called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and expressed its readiness to facilitate dialogue in order to restore regional conduciveness.

Through an official statement on the X platform on Saturday, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that President Prabowo was willing to travel to Tehran to conduct mediation if approved by the conflicting parties.