Gus Yahya's remarks on Prabowo's mission to mediate Iran–US–Israel tensions

Yahya Cholil Staquf, the General Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Central Board (PBNU), says President Prabowo Subianto demonstrates a strong commitment to contributing to a resolution of the conflict in the Middle East. He said this after a meeting between President Prabowo and kyai and leaders of Islamic non-government organisations (ormas) at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday evening (5 March). According to him, Indonesia has a strategically important position to open channels of communication among the parties involved. ‘What is clear is that the President has reaffirmed his commitment; he will do anything to help towards peace, resolving the issue, and especially because the resolution of the problem, particularly the Middle East conflict today, is fairly directly linked to our domestic interests,’ Yahya said, quoted by Antara.

Yahya also assessed that Indonesia has an opportunity to play the role of a communication mediator because it is accepted by the various parties involved in the conflict. ‘Alhamdulillah Indonesia in this regard, President Prabowo Subianto is an actor who is accepted by all sides, so there is a chance to act as a kind of mediator between the parties,’ he added.

Meanwhile, Nusron Wahid, the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning who also serves as the Chair of the MUI’s Disaster Management, said the plan for Prabowo to become a mediator between Iran and the US-Israel has received support from Middle Eastern countries. ‘And then the steps taken by the President have received support from several Middle Eastern countries and other Islamic countries. Including Pakistan, and also the UAE,’ Nusron said after meeting with Prabowo. He said Prabowo himself desires a meeting with Iran, and that Iran is open to that. ‘While considering the situation, it was stated earlier, in principle the President wants a meeting with Iran. To act as a mediator and Iran opening up to it,’ he added.

Nusron did not go into further detail about the plan. He felt that Foreign Minister Sugiono is more capable of explaining it. However, in principle, Nusron said Prabowo desires peace. He does not want a Gulf region war to drag on, even as its escalation increases.

Prabowo’s initiative to become mediator had previously been announced by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs a while ago. The Foreign Ministry stated Prabowo was prepared to be a mediator between the US-Israel and Iran. Prabowo was said to be prepared to travel to Tehran if allowed by the involved countries. ‘The Government of Indonesia, in this instance the President of the Republic of Indonesia, expresses readiness to facilitate dialogue for the creation of a conducive security environment and if both sides agree, the President of Indonesia is prepared to travel to Tehran to undertake mediation,’ the statement said.

The conflict in the Middle East among Iran, Israel and the United States has heated up. The US and Israel launched a joint strike on 28 February. As a result of the operation, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed. Khamenei was reported dead in the attack on Saturday. Iran confirmed the next day. On the first day of the US-Israel operation, Iran immediately retaliated. Iran also retaliated with a larger-scale attack after Khamenei’s death. They targeted Israel and US military bases in the region.