Indonesia Must Be Accepted by All Parties to Become Mediator in Iran–US–Israel Tensions

Jakarta — Indonesia must be accepted by the parties if it wants to act as mediator or negotiator to ease tensions between Iran and the United States and Israel in the Middle East.

“The main condition is that Indonesia must be accepted by both conflicting sides,” said Foreign Minister Noer Hassan Wirajuda, who served from 2001 to 2009, at a press conference at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday evening (3 March), after a national discussion at the Merdeka Palace.

Wirajuda explained that he did not discuss whether Indonesia could or could not (be mediator) because that is a preliminary thought. In other words, he emphasised, to become mediator there must also be acceptance from the two warring parties, and there are no signs of that yet.

President Prabowo Subianto has gathered a group of figures including former presidents and vice presidents, former foreign ministers, and party leaders to discuss strategic issues, particularly the escalation in Gulf and Middle East countries, following the unilateral attack by Zionist Israel and the United States on Iran last weekend.

In the meeting, President Prabowo provided an up-to-date briefing on the Middle East situation and its implications for Indonesia, then received proposals from various figures on steps to be prepared going forward.

“The president is very open to responding to the proposals and ideas from the participants,” Wirajuda said.

Following the unilateral US-Israel attack on Iran, which was swiftly followed by retaliatory strikes on bases and US military assets in several Gulf states, President Prabowo, as conveyed by Foreign Minister Sugiono, said he is ready to mediate for the parties in conflict.

That readiness was conveyed in a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week and by Foreign Minister Sugiono directly when he met reporters after the national discussion event.

He added that Indonesia wants to be in a position to act as a bridge across differences, offering readiness and offering itself.

In response to the offer, Iran’s Ambassador to Indonesia Mohammad Boroujerdi welcomed Indonesia’s willingness to act as mediator.

However, Ambassador Boroujerdi said Iran is not yet prepared to negotiate with those who attack them.

“As of now there have been no steps related to this and we still do not know whether such a move (peace talks) can have an impact or influence or not,” Boroujerdi said.