Prabowo's Plan to Travel to Tehran as Iran-US Mediator Deemed Unrealistic
Former Deputy Foreign Minister Dino Patti Djalal has criticised President Prabowo Subianto’s proposal to travel to Tehran as a mediator between Iran and the United States, deeming the idea unrealistic. The Indonesian Foreign Ministry announced Prabowo’s willingness to mediate just hours after Israel and the United States renewed military strikes against Iran’s capital.
“As an independent political scientist and former Indonesian diplomat, I am astonished why this idea was not filtered before being announced, because it is highly unrealistic,” Djalal said in a video posted on his Instagram account @dinopattidjalal on Sunday, 1 March 2026.
Djalal outlined four reasons why the plan lacks realism. First, he argued that the United States rarely accepts third-party mediation during military operations. “America’s ego as a superpower is too high to accept that,” he stated. He expressed confidence that US President Donald Trump would not welcome Indonesian involvement, noting that Trump appears determined to overthrow the Iranian government. Djalal also referenced comments from colleagues in Washington D.C., claiming that US attacks on Iran are an attempt to divert attention from the Epstein Files—documents concerning the late sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein—which are increasingly damaging President Trump personally.
Second, Djalal noted that the Iranian government has grown distant from Indonesia. He pointed out that in the past 15 months, President Prabowo has neither visited Iran nor met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, despite receiving invitations from Iran. There have been no bilateral meetings between the two leaders at third-country forums such as BRICS summits or D-8 summits. Additionally, Foreign Minister Sugiono has not conducted a bilateral visit to Tehran, though he did meet once with Iran’s foreign minister in Geneva. “In other words, there is currently no closeness or trust from the Iranian government towards the Indonesian government,” Djalal said.
Third, Djalal argued that even if Prabowo is willing to fly to Tehran, US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio—as the attacking parties—would never agree to visit Tehran. “This is not realistic and will not happen. We must be honest about this,” Djalal stated.
Finally, meaningful mediation would require President Prabowo to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the primary actor conducting strikes on Iran. Djalal stressed that such a meeting would be impossible on political, diplomatic, and logistical grounds. He argued that meeting Netanyahu would constitute “political suicide” for President Prabowo domestically. “I truly do not know where this remarkable idea came from for President Prabowo to fly to Tehran to mediate this triangular conflict,” Djalal concluded.
President Prabowo Subianto had stated his readiness to travel to Tehran to serve as a peacemaker between Iran and the United States. In a written statement, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry declared that Indonesia is offering itself as a facilitator for dialogue among the conflicting parties. “If approved by both parties, the President of Indonesia is prepared to travel to Tehran to conduct mediation,” the statement said on Saturday, 28 February 2026.
Indonesia expressed regret over the failure of negotiations between the United States and Iran, which has resulted in renewed armed conflict. The Foreign Ministry called upon all involved parties to exercise restraint and prioritise dialogue and diplomacy.