Prabowo to Visit Tehran with Pakistan's Leader to Ease Middle East Conflict

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Chair of the Advisory Board of the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI), Jimly Asshiddique, revealed that President Prabowo Subianto and the leader of Pakistan will visit Tehran, Iran, to defuse the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. He said he heard this directly from President Prabowo during a meeting with ulema, leaders of pesantren, and leaders of Islamic community organisations on Thursday (5 March 2026). ‘I am grateful that the Prime Minister of Pakistan is willing to accompany President Prabowo on the visit to Tehran. That is what the President explained,’ Jimly said at the Presidential Palace Complex, Central Jakarta, Thursday night. ‘I forgot whether it was the Prime Minister or the President of Pakistan. Well, they will go to Tehran together,’ he added. ‘Pakistan only phoned President Prabowo a few hours before this meeting, you know. So he wants to go together, both of them. Oh, that’s very good,’ he said. According to Jimly, the plan is a good step to prevent the conflict from dragging on. It also signals that Prabowo’s mediation proposal is supported by Pakistan. He also noted that Indonesia and Pakistan, as the world’s largest Muslim-majority countries, are very important in this effort. Jimly believes mediation should be attempted even if the chances of success are small. ‘Even if the chances are small, it should be tried. The point is that Indonesia should take on a global player role. We support that. Do not view it negatively yet; it’s not about mediating someone who has just been killed, not like that. But to de-escalate and prevent further attacks by Israel,’ Jimly said. The aim is to restore a conducive security situation. If agreed by both sides, Indonesia’s President is ready to travel to Tehran, Iran, to carry out the mediation.