Prabowo on US-Israel and Iran Conflict: Seek Peaceful Options
President Prabowo Subianto believes that all parties involved in the war between the United States, Israel and Iran must be willing to engage in dialogue to end the conflict. The Head of State expressed this view in an exclusive interview with international media Bloomberg last weekend, discussing the US-Israel war against Iran. “My advice is always to seek peaceful options,” Prabowo said at Hambalang, West Java, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Government Communications Agency on Tuesday, 17 March 2026.
Furthermore, Prabowo also explained Indonesia’s involvement in the Board of Peace (BoP) initiative launched by US President Donald Trump. For Prabowo, Indonesia’s participation aims to achieve Palestinian independence through a two-state solution. The politician from Gerindra Party believes that his decision to participate can influence the Peace Council to realise Palestinian independence.
However, Prabowo stated that the plan to send Indonesian military personnel to the Gaza Strip through the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) under the command of the Peace Council is currently postponed. Additionally, all discussions related to the Peace Council have been suspended due to escalating conflict in the Middle East region.
Global geopolitical conditions have intensified following sudden attacks by the US and Israel on Iran at the end of February 2026. The joint military assault on Iranian airspace caused infrastructure damage and civilian casualties. The US-Israeli attack also killed several leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran subsequently retaliated by deploying missiles and drones against Israeli territory and all US military facilities in the Middle East region.
In the midst of the US-Israel conflict with Iran, President Prabowo has offered himself as a peacemaker. Nevertheless, Prabowo stated that Indonesia will not join any military alliance. Indonesia is said to consistently uphold the principle of independent and active foreign policy, in accordance with the 1945 Constitution, by not siding with any bloc of powers and actively creating world peace.
He stated that Indonesia maintains good relations with other nations and possesses a defensive military posture. “We cannot be part of any military alliance,” Prabowo said. Indonesia, Prabowo claimed, stands on its own feet and does not depend on the power of other nations. Therefore, Indonesia must build strong defence capabilities. “When something happens, we cannot depend on anyone,” Prabowo said.