MUI Urges Indonesia to Withdraw from BoP Amid Middle East Conflict, Foreign Minister Says

Foreign Minister Sugiono said that all discussions relating to the Board of Peace (BoP) are currently on hold, with Indonesia’s diplomacy refocusing on security developments in the region, notably Iran. ‘Yes, all BoP talks are on hold; attention has shifted to the situation in Iran,’ he told reporters at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. He said Indonesia continues to maintain intensive communications with allied countries, including in the Gulf, noting that several Gulf states that are BoP members are also affected by the latest escalation. ‘If BoP remains as before, we consult with our Gulf friends, because they are also attacked and they are BoP members too,’ he added. Earlier, MUI condemned the US and Israel strikes on Iran that triggered the tense situation in the Middle East. A statement circulated on Sunday 1 March 2026 outlined nine points in response to the US-Israel attack, signed by MUI Chairman KH Anwar Iskandar. Of the nine points, MUI urged various countries to act as peacemakers in the conflict instigated by the United States and Israel. MUI also urged the Indonesian government to withdraw its membership from the BoP, the board formed by US President Donald Trump, arguing it is ineffective at maintaining world peace. ‘The United States, which plays a central role in managing the Palestinian issue through BoP, faces a fundamental question about whether that strategy truly aims at peace that is just, or merely strengthens an unequal security architecture and buries Palestinian independence,’ the statement read. ‘Therefore, MUI urges the Indonesian government to withdraw from BoP because it is seen as failing to realise true peace in Palestine. What is happening instead is that Trump, alongside Israel, is attacking Iran and triggering regional wars involving several powers, both directly and through proxies,’ it added.