Prabowo's offer to mediate the Iran war draws anger at home

President Prabowo Subianto's offer to help mediate between Iran and the United States drew sharp criticism at home, where many see his warm ties with Washington as out of step with public feeling. As Al Jazeera reports, the offer came as the war between Iran, Israel, and the US deepened, and analysts questioned both its realism and its timing.

A former deputy foreign minister, Dino Patti Djalal, called the mediation offer "highly unrealistic" and said it "wasn't vetted." Another analyst, Ian Wilson, said talks had "completely ended," so the offer was "not reading the room." Many Indonesians, in a Muslim-majority country with strong sympathy for Iran and the Palestinians against Israel and the US, were uneasy about their president appearing close to Washington. One sign of the mood: a mourner even signed a petition honouring Iran's supreme leader at the Iranian ambassador's residence in Jakarta.

Critics tie the episode to Prabowo's separate promise of up to 8,000 troops for a US-backed Gaza force, arguing it clashes with Indonesia's long tradition of "bebas-aktif," a foreign policy that stays independent and avoids taking sides between big powers.

Why it matters

How Indonesia positions itself between the US, Iran, and Israel touches national pride, public feeling, and the country's standing in the Muslim world. A leader seen as too close to Washington risks a backlash at home. Watch whether Prabowo adjusts his tone to match public opinion, or keeps leaning toward the United States.