Prabowo criticises US-Israel military campaign against Iran as irrational and asymmetrical

Prabowo says he sees no ‘rationality’ in ‘asymmetrical’ US-Israel war on Iran

In an interview with Bloomberg, Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto said that Iran had conveyed to him that it is wary of entering into negotiations with the US as it has been “tricked” twice.

JAKARTA: Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto said that he was “surprised” and did not see any “rationality” in the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, adding that plans to deploy peacekeeping troops under the Board of Peace to Gaza have been temporarily postponed amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

“We are all confused and I am saddened, I don’t feel there’s any rationality in this (military campaign against Iran),” he said in an interview with Bloomberg on Saturday (Mar 14) that was published on Sunday.

The US and Israel launched their most ambitious attacks on Iran in decades on Feb 28, plunging the region into a new conflict as Tehran responded by launching missiles towards other countries in the Gulf.

Iran had claimed that it had “ample evidence” that US bases in their territory were being used to launch attacks.

Prabowo had described the US-Israel military campaign as an “asymmetrical war” in which Iran may “just have to survive”.

The Indonesian president told Bloomberg that Iranian officials were wary of entering into negotiations with the US to end the conflict.

“Twice, twice, they felt that basically they had been tricked. That’s what they said,” said Prabowo.

He also raised concerns about whether the US strategy of bombing Iran could lead to a regime change.

“It’s very difficult to conduct these operations just purely from the air,” Prabowo said, adding that it would take “indiscriminate bombing” to achieve such a goal.

The military campaign has killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who had led the country since 1989. In his place, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late supreme leader, was then appointed to succeed his father as the new head of the Islamic Republic.

Prabowo said that he could not predict how long the war would last, saying that all sides must be willing to engage for any mediation to be helpful in ending the conflict.

“My advice is always to look for the peaceful option,” he told Bloomberg, recounting his past experience as a soldier. The president is a former general of the Indonesian army.

“I was a soldier. I was in combat. And I’m the first one to realise that if we can talk, better talk. If we can resolve things on the table, better on the table.”

Asked about his offer to mediate the conflict if need be, Prabowo said that there “must be willingness on all sides”.

“We offer ourselves as one of the mediators, I’m sure there are others more, perhaps more relevant, with more leverage than us,” he said.

Bloomberg reported that Prabowo’s plan to send peacekeeping troops to Gaza as part of the Board of Peace established by US President Donald Trump is now on hold.

Asked about criticism within Indonesia for joining the board, the Indonesian leader said: “Every policy will have pros and cons.”

“If we are inside the Board of Peace, we can still influence and work toward a lasting solution, which in our view is an independent Palestine, a two-state solution,” he added.

The board was initially established to ensure that post-conflict reconstruction in Gaza proceeds effectively. It has drawn criticism from experts and Muslim groups at home, who say it compromises Indonesia’s long-standing support for the Palestinian cause.

Earlier this month, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono said that all discussions with the Board of Peace were on hold amid the situation in Iran.

Indonesia was earlier preparing 1,000 troops for potential deployment in Gaza by early April as part of a proposed multinational peacekeeping force, its army said. The peacekeeping force is also part of the UN-mandated International Stabilization Force in which Indonesia was offered the deputy commander position.

It plans to send 8,000 troops in total by June this year, according to the Indonesia military headquarters.

Any deployment of the Indonesian military to Gaza will be strictly for humanitarian purposes and not combat operations, the government said last month.

In the interview with Bloomberg, Prabowo also downplayed concerns that China may look to take advantage of the situation in Iran to take action against Taiwan.

The Indonesian leader posited that Chinese leaders have prioritised on improving the lives of their citizens and “they will try to avoid open conflict”.

Prabowo also confirmed that Indonesia is considering purchasing weapons from China, including fighter jets, adding that Indonesia buys military equipment from everywhere and would not align militarily with any major power.

Prabowo stressed that Indonesia maintains good relations with all neighbouring countries and adopts a defensive military posture.

“We cannot be part of any military alliance. When something happens, we cannot rely on anyone,” he told Bloomberg.