Former Indonesian Ambassador to Iran Dian Wirengjurit Claims US Attack on Iran is Diversion from Epstein Files Issue
Former Indonesian Ambassador to Iran, Dian Wirengjurit, views the United States’ military attack on Iran as an attempt by US President Donald Trump to divert attention from the “Epstein Files” scandal.
According to Dian, the issue has become a serious topic of discussion within the US. “Absolutely correct. Precisely, this is clearly a diversion of issues. Trump has many domestic issues,” she stated in the EdShareOn podcast with Eddy Wijaya on Wednesday (18/3).
The Epstein Files scandal itself has implicated several prominent figures, including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton. They are linked to Jeffrey Epstein, who was proven to have engaged in human trafficking and sexual crimes against children.
US Democratic Party Congressman Ted Lieu even mentioned that Trump’s name appears repeatedly in the documents. He assessed that Trump’s involvement in events held by Epstein was not coincidental. That statement was also directed at US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is considered to be protecting Trump.
Dian added that Trump is also facing domestic political pressure, including criticism from Human Rights Watch regarding policies deemed to damage human rights, particularly towards immigrants and asylum seekers.
In addition, she highlighted the economic impact of the conflict. “One day can cost at least one billion dollars. Iran’s cheap drones are countered with expensive missiles,” said Dian.
She also assessed that the military action has the potential to violate US domestic law because it has not yet received Congressional approval. “The war has not been approved but he has already started it. This is not America’s war, but Trump’s war,” she stated.
PRABOWO’S MEDIATION
On the same occasion, Dian doubted President Prabowo Subianto’s ability to mediate the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran. “To be a mediator, one must be neutral. We couldn’t even resolve the Iran-Saudi Arabia conflict. How could we resolve the Iran-Israel conflict? Nonsense,” she said.
She emphasised that to date, there has been no request from the relevant countries for Indonesia to act as a mediator. That role is more likely to be taken by countries like Turkey or Egypt, which have diplomatic relations with all parties.
Dian also criticised Indonesia’s steps, which she deemed have not yet shown a neutral position, including participation in the Gaza Peace Council initiated by Trump.
According to her, Indonesia should focus on fixing domestic problems before taking a role in global conflicts. “If our domestic affairs are sorted out, other countries will ask for our help, not us offering ourselves,” she said.
She also highlighted the plan to send peacekeeping troops to Gaza, which is considered to require a large budget. The government itself has postponed that plan due to the escalation of conflict in the Middle East region.