Luhut Recounts Iran's Cleverness in Managing the US-Israel Conflict and Names Developed Nations as Architects of Catastrophe
CIMAHI — Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Chair of the National Economic Council (DEN), addressed a public lecture at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani (Unjani) Auditorium in Cimahi, West Java on Wednesday, 11 March 2026. Speaking to 25,637 students and 1,090 academic staff, Luhut analysed the outbreak of conflict between the United States-Israel alliance and Iran.
Luhut stated that current conditions have impacted the global economy, which faces unprecedented uncertainty throughout history. This stems from successive wars—the Russia-Ukraine conflict, followed by tensions between America and Venezuela over the detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by Delta Force, and now the outbreak of war between America-Israel and Iran.
“My point is, this uncertainty remains high. Therefore, we domestically must also stand united in confronting this because the entire world faces this problem,” Luhut said during the guest lecture themed ‘Optimising the Role and Character of Students in Leveraging Demographic Dividends to Realise Golden Indonesia 2045’ at Unjani Cimahi on Wednesday, 11 March 2026.
Luhut highlighted that most current conflicts involving multiple nations primarily involve developed countries. He openly cited examples of how America and Britain have triggered conflicts in nations through arbitrary actions.
“But to be honest, if you study history, in reality the architects behind all these catastrophes are developed nations. Look at how Britain colonised and then divided Palestine with Israel. Look at America and Western nations after World War II—they divided Saudi Arabia with Abu Dhabi, with Dubai, with everything,” Luhut stated.
Furthermore, developed nations have shown displeasure when formerly colonised nations declare independence. Indonesia’s independence declaration in 1945 subsequently triggered independence movements from other colonised nations.
“So Indonesia, as it were, the unifier of Asia and Africa at that time, was considered by them as wrong—that we were pushing for the independence of developing nations. Now they want to carry out colonisation or subjugation again in a different form,” Luhut said.