As reported by Al Jazeera, criticism of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s relationship with the United States has intensified as the US-Israel war against Iran enters its second week and images of air raids on Tehran circulate widely in Indonesia’s media and social platforms. According to Al Jazeera, Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, has seen growing unease over Prabowo’s perceived closeness to Washington at a time when public opinion is strongly sympathetic to civilians in Iran and deeply angered by the broader regional escalation following the war in Gaza. The outlet reports that this anger has revived scrutiny of Prabowo’s past ties with the Trump administration and his decision to join the so-called “Board of Peace,” a US-linked initiative that has come under sharper criticism since the latest war erupted.
As reported by Al Jazeera, Prabowo has tried to present himself as a mediator, including publicly stating that he is willing to travel to Tehran to help broker talks if all parties agree, positioning Indonesia as a neutral actor seeking to reduce tensions. According to coverage cited by Al Jazeera, Indonesian officials have expressed “deep regret” over the failure of earlier diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran and warned that continued escalation could destabilize the wider Middle East. However, Al Jazeera notes that some Indonesian diplomats and analysts have questioned the realism and preparation behind Prabowo’s mediation offer, arguing that such proposals must be carefully coordinated given Indonesia’s balancing act between major powers.
Public anger and political reactions in Indonesia
As reported by Al Jazeera, the latest war has triggered a fresh wave of criticism from Indonesian civil society groups, Islamic organizations, and humanitarian activists, many of whom accuse the United States and Israel of fueling regional instability and disproportionately harming civilians in Iran. According to Al Jazeera’s reporting, activists argue that Prabowo’s continued association with US-backed initiatives, including the Board of Peace, risks sending a mixed signal about Indonesia’s stance at a time when domestic sentiment is strongly opposed to US military action.
Al Jazeera reports that while protests linked specifically to the Iran conflict have so far been more limited than the mass mobilizations seen over the war in Gaza, criticism has been intense online, with social media users questioning whether Prabowo is doing enough to distance Indonesia from Washington’s war policy. According to Al Jazeera, some commentators in Indonesia say public anger has been amplified by the perception that the latest war is a continuation of what many Indonesians see as a broader pattern of US support for military action in the region, from Palestine to Iran.
Supporting details and expert commentary
As reported by Al Jazeera, former deputy foreign minister and ex-ambassador to the United States Dino Patti Djalal criticized the way Prabowo’s mediation offer was rolled out, describing it as “highly unrealistic” and questioning why it had not been thoroughly assessed before being announced. According to Al Jazeera, Djalal’s remarks reflect broader concerns within parts of Indonesia’s diplomatic community that foreign policy decisions must be grounded in careful analysis of Indonesia’s leverage and the interests of all parties involved.
Al Jazeera further reports that Beni Murad, director of the humanitarian organization Indonesia for Peace and Humanity, called the Foreign Ministry’s initial response to the US-Israel strikes on Iran “naive,” arguing that official statements did not sufficiently acknowledge the gravity of the attacks, including the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim publicly condemned. According to Al Jazeera, Murad and other activists contend that Indonesia’s moral authority as a leading Muslim-majority democracy depends on issuing stronger, clearer condemnations of actions they view as violations of international law and humanitarian norms.
As reported by Al Jazeera, analysts also highlight that although many Indonesians now express solidarity with Iran, the scale of mobilization remains smaller than the huge rallies held in support of Palestine during the Gaza war, where demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands into the streets. According to Al Jazeera’s reporting, researcher Yohanes Sulaiman Supriatma notes that, so far, the Iran-related anger is more visible in online discourse, where users link the war to longer-running grievances over US policies in the Middle East and Indonesia’s perceived reluctance to openly confront them.
What could Indonesia do next?
As reported by Al Jazeera, pressure has been mounting inside Indonesia for Prabowo’s government to reconsider or even withdraw from the Board of Peace in light of the ongoing US-Israel campaign against Iran, with critics arguing that continued participation risks undermining Indonesia’s reputation as an independent, non-aligned actor. According to regional reporting cited by Al Jazeera, some political and civil society figures say stepping back from US-led initiatives would better align Indonesia’s foreign policy with public opinion and its longstanding support for Palestinian and broader Muslim causes.
As reported by Al Jazeera, Prabowo convened a high-level meeting in Jakarta with former presidents, vice presidents, and senior political figures to assess the geopolitical and economic implications of the war, signaling that the administration is aware of both domestic concerns and the potential risks to Indonesia’s interests. According to Al Jazeera, former foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda said after the meeting that Prabowo was open to reviewing Indonesia’s role in the Board of Peace given the changing situation, suggesting that Jakarta may adjust its engagement with US-led peace frameworks.
Al Jazeera reports that any shift will need to balance Indonesia’s desire to maintain constructive ties with Washington against its commitment to an independent foreign policy and its leadership role in the Muslim world. According to Al Jazeera, analysts say the outcome of this debate could shape not only Indonesia’s response to the Iran war, but also its broader positioning in a region where US-China competition and Middle East conflicts are increasingly interconnected.
In sum, as reported by Al Jazeera, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is facing heightened domestic scrutiny over his ties to the United States and participation in US-linked peace initiatives as public anger grows over the US-Israel war against Iran and its humanitarian toll. According to the outlet, the coming weeks are likely to test how far Prabowo is prepared to recalibrate Indonesia’s role in US-led frameworks and how effectively he can reassure a public that expects Jakarta to take a firmer stand against the war while preserving Indonesia’s long-standing diplomatic balancing act.
