US analyst says US leverage is key to halting Iran-Israel conflict

In Jakarta, on Saturday, March 7, international relations analyst Teuku Rezasyah of Padjadjaran University (Unpad) said the United States should be urged to stop the conflict between the United States–Israel and Iran. Rezasyah told ANTARA in Jakarta that attempts to bring Iran back to the negotiating table with the U.S. would be difficult, because Washington has been accused of violating the Tehran agreement and undermining consensus efforts by bombing Iran. He made the statement while commenting on plans by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who could potentially visit Iran with Pakistan’s Prime Minister to defuse tensions in the region. “It would be beneficial for the Republic of Indonesia and Pakistan to promptly design a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and the Arab League to discuss the crisis instigated by the United States and Israel, which risks triggering World War III,” he said. According to Rezasyah, mediation of the U.S.–Iran conflict would only be considered successful if President Prabowo can dialogue with U.S. President Donald Trump on a possible resolution to the conflict. However, he assessed that would be difficult because Trump is believed to desire a change of government in Tehran from the Islamic Republic to a secular administration. On 28 February, the U.S. and Israel conducted a joint strike on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran then retaliated by launching missiles at Israel and U.S. military bases in the Middle East. On the same day, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged all parties to exercise restraint and prioritise dialogue and diplomacy. Jimly Asshiddiqie, chairman of the ICMI Advisory Council of Indonesian Muslim Scholars (ICMI), had previously said President Prabowo planned to go directly to Iran. He said this after attending a meeting between ulama, clerics, and Muslim scholars with President Prabowo at the Presidential Palace on Thursday night. In the meeting, President Prabowo disclosed his plan to help defuse the escalation in the Middle East together with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. According to Jimly, Prabowo’s intention to defuse the escalation was welcomed by the Pakistani prime minister.