Prabowo's Plan to Mediate Between Iran, Israel and the US Deemed Unrealistic, Here's Why

Former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Indonesia, Dino Patti Djalal, has assessed that President Prabowo Subianto’s desire to serve as a mediator or facilitator in the Israel-United States-Iran conflict is unrealistic.

Djalal expressed this view via his official Instagram account on Sunday, 1 March 2025. “This is unrealistic and cannot happen. We must be honest about this fact,” he stated.

He identified four key factors underpinning his assessment of Prabowo’s intention.

First, the United States as a superpower harbours excessive self-interest. As such, according to Djalal, the United States is unlikely to accept third-party mediation whilst conducting military operations. “America’s ego is too high. I believe President Trump does not want Indonesia to interfere because his current primary focus is overthrowing the Iranian government,” he remarked.

He also highlighted suspicions in Washington DC that this military aggression is being used to divert public attention from the Epstein Files scandal implicating Donald Trump.

The second factor concerns bilateral relations between Indonesia and Iran. Djalal assessed that the closeness between the two nations over the past 15 months remains minimal. Prabowo has not yet met with the Iranian President nor visited the country, despite receiving a formal invitation. “Foreign Minister Sugiono has also not made a bilateral visit to Tehran. In other words, there is not yet a sufficiently strong foundation of trust (trust) from the Iranian government towards the Indonesian government at present,” he said.

The third factor, Djalal added, concerns potential technical and diplomatic obstacles relating to the mediation process. He is convinced that neither Donald Trump nor US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be willing to visit Tehran for negotiations.

Conversely, Indonesia faces a major obstacle: the necessity of communicating with Israel. If mediation were to occur, Djalal argued, Prabowo would have to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the principal actor in the attacks. “Politically, diplomatically and logistically, this is highly unlikely to occur for Indonesia,” he stressed.

Djalal warned that forcing the role of mediator in this situation could actually damage the President’s domestic political position.