JAKARTA: The government has doubled down on its offer to mediate conflicting parties in the United States-Israel war against Iran, emphasising the need for negotiations to solve the conflict in the region.
Speaking after the meeting hosted by President Prabowo Subianto with top political figures at the State Palace on Tuesday evening (Mar 3), Foreign Minister Sugiono said he had conveyed Indonesia’s readiness to assume a “bridging” role, once all sides approve it, to his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi during a call on Monday.
He also reiterated to Tehran its commitment to respecting territorial integrity and sovereignty, while also relaying concerns from several Gulf nations affected by attacks in the past week.
“What is clear is that Indonesia seeks to serve as a bridge amid these differences, and we have conveyed our readiness to contribute to resolving the conflict,” Sugiono said.
Concerns over the latest developments in the region cast a shadow over Tuesday’s meeting at the Palace, which focused on Jakarta’s strategic posture amid global tensions and potential disruptions to critical energy supply chains triggered by the war.
The conflict has escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran that killed its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting retaliatory Iranian missile and drone attacks across the region.
The country has also shut down traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz and rejected any negotiation with Washington, heightening fears of prolonged war and global energy disruption.
‘Elite solidarity’
Attending Tuesday’s high-level briefing were former presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko “Jokowi” Widodo; former vice presidents Maruf Amin, Jusuf Kalla and Boediono; former foreign ministers and political party leaders.
Also present were Indonesian Chamber of Commerce chair Anindya Bakrie and Indonesian Employers Association chair Shinta Widjaja Kamdani. Former president and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chair Megawati Sukarnoputri was absent from the meeting, citing internal party business.
Previously, Megawati sent a personal letter to Tehran expressing her condolences over Khamenei’s death, writing that Indonesia “stood with the people of Iran” in rejecting and strongly condemning all forms of unilateral military aggression.
Through the nearly four-hour briefing, Prabowo and his ministers sought to calibrate Jakarta’s position in response to the widening conflict, according to official releases.
They also reviewed citizen protection plans amid ongoing evacuations from the region’s hardest-hit areas and contingency measures to cushion potential domestic shocks.
Among issues discussed were disruption in oil and gas supply and food security, with the President urging attendees to maintain “national elite solidarity” amid these uncertain times.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Golkar Party chair and Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said the government had mapped out various scenarios and taken precautionary steps to ensure Indonesia’s preparedness, but stopped short in providing details on the matter.
Recalculating stances
Another topic discussed was the limited role played by multilateral organisations in responding to the crisis, with former foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda saying Indonesia held little expectation of the United Nations making substantive moves anytime soon.
He noted the lack of reliable space for countries to lodge complaints when violations occur, arguing the UN’s “non-role” and a “rule-based order that exists only on paper” have left nations, including Indonesia, in an increasingly precarious position fraught with dilemma.
Responding to the situation, Prabowo invited views from the briefing’s attendees on the role of the US-led Board of Peace, which Indonesia has joined, and which has been promoted by Washington as a potential leading multilateral forum for future peace efforts.
“We discussed the board, particularly in light of the latest developments, including whether the war unfolding in Iran could undermine the platform’s position and mandate,” Hassan said.
“We will need to recalculate on that front,” he went on to say. Several parties, including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), have been calling on the government to quit the Board of Peace, citing the group’s ineffectiveness in creating a route to genuine independence for Palestine in the wake of the US-Israel war with Iran.
People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Deputy Speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) echoed the call on Tuesday, pressing Prabowo to reconsider, to prevent Indonesia’s presence on the board used to legitimise expanding the armed conflict in the region.
Sugiono said Jakarta was still consulting with several Gulf nations affected by the conflict, adding that discussions within the framework of the Board of Peace had been suspended as “all attention has shifted toward the situation in Iran”.
On Wednesday, Sugiono met with Iranian Ambassador to Indonesia Mohammad Boroujerdi to deliver a letter from Prabowo conveying his condolences on Khamenei’s death.
The letter was the first official condolence message from Indonesia since the leader’s death on Saturday. “I underlined the importance of respecting international law and the UN Charter, as well as the importance of de-escalation through diplomacy,” Sugiono wrote on his Instagram account after the meeting. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
