Is Indonesia Involved? 3 Countries Set to Mediate 'Ceasefire' in US-Iran War

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Turkey, Pakistan, and Egypt have expressed readiness to act as mediators in the conflict between Iran and the United States (US) and Israel, having communicated with parties in Washington and Tehran over the past two days.

This news comes after US President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered a suspension of planned attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure for five days. Trump linked the suspension to “success” in talks with Iran, although Iran denied any negotiations.

A report from Axios, cited by Daily Sabah, stated that the foreign ministers of the three countries held separate discussions with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

“The mediation process is ongoing and showing progress. The discussions addressed ending the war and resolving all outstanding issues. We hope to receive a response soon,” said a source familiar with the details on Tuesday (24/3/2026).

Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency stated that it denies any meetings between Washington and Tehran, and “there is no dialogue” between the two.

Trump’s comments are part of efforts to lower energy prices and buy time for implementing military plans. They acknowledged that countries in the region have proposed initiatives aimed at reducing tensions.

“We are not the party that started this war, and all such demands should be directed at Washington,” it added.

Turkey, a neighbour of Iran and a NATO ally of the US, is particularly keen to de-escalate the conflict.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has repeatedly announced their readiness to intervene and mediate between the two countries, although he expressed concerns that Israel, also involved in the conflict, would prefer to prolong it.

Fidan held telephone calls on Monday with his counterparts from Egypt and Norway. Sources from the Foreign Ministry said that Fidan, Norway’s Espen Barth Eide, and Egypt’s Badr Abdelatty discussed efforts to stop the war.

Turkey’s top diplomat was also involved in telephone diplomacy on Sunday with counterparts worldwide, a few days after joining a meeting of Gulf countries’ top diplomats regarding the conflict spreading across the region.