Muhammadiyah Leadership Urges UN to Impose Sanctions on US-Israel for Attacks on Iran
Indonesia’s Muhammadiyah Leadership Urges UN to Impose Sanctions on US-Israel for Attacks on Iran
The Muhammadiyah Leadership Centre (PP Muhammadiyah) has called on the United Nations to take firm action and impose sanctions against the United States and Israel for launching attacks on Iran since Saturday, 28 February.
The appeal was contained in an official written statement responding to the current situation regarding Middle East conflict. The letter was signed by Muhammadiyah’s Chairman Syafiq A Mughni and Secretary Muhammad Sayuti on Monday, 2 March.
In principle, Muhammadiyah strongly condemns attacks by both countries on Iraq, viewing them as violations of human rights, international law, and a disregard for UN decisions.
“We call on the United Nations to impose strict sanctions against the United States and Israel for these violations and to implement them through concrete measures,” the statement read.
The letter also expressed concern and condolences for the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other victims targeted by US and Israeli attacks.
“We extend the same condolences to victims of Iran’s counter-attacks in several Arab countries,” the statement said.
Muhammadiyah also urged the UN and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take immediate steps to end all forms of violence and prevent increased tensions between nations in the Middle East region, including genocide against the Palestinian people.
“Iran and Arab nations should exercise restraint and prioritise dialogue to avoid further conflict amongst fellow OIC members,” it stated.
Muhammadiyah called for dialogue and diplomatic measures to resolve the Middle East conflict, urging all countries, multilateral and bilateral organisations, religious leaders, and civil society to participate actively.
“To help create global peace and justice and condemn all arbitrary actions that cause destruction and the ruin of civilisation on earth,” the statement concluded.
The Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) issued an official position condemning the combined US-Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday, 28 February. They openly criticised the position of the Board of Peace (BoP) initiative proposed and established by US President Donald Trump regarding the Gaza issue and Middle East stability.
The MUI questioned the Board of Peace position—to which Indonesia is also party—when the United States was actually collaborating with Israel to bombard Iran with rockets and missiles.
According to MUI, the US was playing a role in the conflict through the Board of Peace. The MUI questioned whether BoP was directed towards just peace or merely reinforced unequal security architecture and buried Palestinian independence.
The MUI assessed that the strategic motive behind the attack should be suspected as a systematic effort to weaken Iran’s strategic position in the region whilst also limiting Iran’s support for the Palestinian independence struggle.
In the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict, the MUI urged various nations to serve as peacemakers to end military attacks that could become instruments of political pressure to secure Israel’s regional dominance over Palestine.
“For this reason, the MUI urges the Indonesian government to withdraw its membership from the BoP as it is deemed ineffective in achieving genuine peace in Palestine,” the statement from MUI Guidance Number Kep-28/DP-MUI/III/2026 read.
According to MUI, the US and Israeli attacks on Iran constitute a violation of a nation’s sovereignty. The US and Israeli attacks on Iran were also stated to be inconsistent with Indonesia’s constitution, the 1945 Constitution.
The MUI assessed that Trump’s step to collaborate with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in attacking Iran had triggered a regional war involving various forces, both directly and through proxies.
The MUI assessed that the counter-attacks between the two sides represented serious escalation that could provoke widening conflict in the Middle East. According to MUI, the situation cannot be overlooked.
“Therefore, to avoid wider escalation, America and Israel must stop attacking Iran because this contravenes Article 2 of the UN Declaration,” MUI stated.