When the United States-Israeli attack on Iran began last weekend, an unexpected peace broker stepped forward in the form of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, leader of the world’s largest Muslim country.

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry announced on social media, “Indonesia calls on all parties to exercise restraint and prioritise dialogue and diplomacy.

“If both sides agree, the Indonesian President is ready to travel to Tehran to mediate,” it said.

But President Prabowo’s offer to help mediate between the two sides has sparked debate across Indonesia, coming at a time of growing criticism of his approach to foreign policy and cordial relations with the Trump administration.

Dino Patti Jalal, Indonesia’s former deputy foreign minister and former ambassador to the United States, said in a statement on Instagram, “I am shocked as to why this idea was not investigated before making it public.”

“This is extremely unrealistic,” Jalal said.

Others agreed, saying the proposal could further alienate Indonesians already alarmed by the president’s reportedly cordial relationship with US President Donald Trump.

“It’s clear that any negotiations between Iran and the US are completely dead, so it is not appropriate to make such a proposal,” Ian Wilson, a lecturer in political and security studies at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, told Al Jazeera.

“Domestically, people are likely to interpret this as another coalition with Trump and therefore with Netanyahu,” Wilson said.

In recent months, Prabowo has faced domestic scrutiny after volunteering to deploy 8,000 Indonesian troops to Gaza as part of an international stabilisation force under the umbrella of Trump’s Board of Peace (BOP)—a so-called “international peacekeeping” organization of which Israel is also a member.

Indonesia has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel and has long supported an independent Palestine.

Trump’s coming on board and offering to participate in the US president’s plan for Gaza has not gone over well domestically.

“Indonesia is being used to legitimise the BOP’s dystopian plan to divide Gaza into four parts and sideline the UN,” Wilson said.

“Indonesia’s involvement fundamentally betrays its long-standing tradition of being a principled voice for the Global South and its approach to foreign policy, which has historically been deeply respected,” he said.

‘Bebas-Aktif’ – ‘Independent and active’

Indonesia was one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War, which saw the country for decades follow a “bebas-aktif” or “independent and active” approach to foreign policy, avoiding major power blocs while actively working for peace and national interest.

Over the past few years, this has included Indonesia’s efforts to maintain peace in several global conflicts, including the Russia–Ukraine war.

But experts said Indonesia’s membership on Trump’s peace board, amid Israel’s massacre in Gaza and now the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, could present an unprecedented test for Prabowo’s approach to foreign policy.

“The Foreign Ministry’s statement on the attack was regrettably naive,” said Sarbini Abdul Murad, director of humanitarian group Indonesia for Peace and Humanity.

While the president had offered mediation, little was said about the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,” Sarbini said, adding that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of neighbouring Malaysia had condemned Khamenei’s killing by US and Israeli forces.

“There is no answer to Ali Khamenei’s death,” he said.

“Indonesia is at a crossroads in its foreign policy,” Sarbini said.

Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Sugiono—who, like many Indonesians, uses a single name—said in a post on social media on Wednesday that Prabowo had expressed his deepest condolences to Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian over Khamenei’s “passing.”

‘Many Indonesians sympathize with Iran.’

While Indonesia has deeply supported Palestine, relations with Iran are more complex.

About 87 per cent of the country’s 270 million people practise Islam, and most of Indonesia’s Muslims are Sunni.

Iran has the world’s largest Shia population, which adheres to a distinct branch of Islamic theology with differing views on aspects of Islamic political theory and history.

“In the past, there was anti-Shia sentiment among Sunnis in Indonesia,” said Med Supriyatama, visiting fellow in the Indonesia Studies Program at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

Supriyatma said, “However, many Indonesians are sympathetic to Iran. This is not always out of solidarity with fellow Muslims, but because of anti-Israel and anti-American sentiment, which has been at a high level for a long time.”

Although many Indonesians support Iran, it is not on the same scale as Palestine, when thousands of people participated in demonstrations across Indonesia at the beginning of the genocidal war on Gaza. Protests against the current war on Iran are mostly limited to “conversations on social media”, Supriyatma said, indicating that there is a lack of large-scale public demonstrations similar to those seen in support of Palestine.

Yohannes Suleiman, a lecturer in politics, security and foreign policy at Indonesia’s Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, said many Indonesians have expressed sympathy for Iran and anger towards the US for what they see as an unprovoked attack on Iran.

But many people are probably unaware of what’s happening inside Iran, Suleiman said, including the recent “anti-regime protests” that have rocked the country.

Indonesian housewife Arisha Ishana said she had not actually heard about any demonstrations in Iran. Despite this, Ishana told Al Jazeera that she supported Iran in the conflict “because they are fellow Muslims”.

Ramdhan, a barista, said he supports Iran’s right to defend itself.

“This conflict was not started by Iran, but by the US and Israel,” he told Al Jazeera. He said that as a Muslim his feelings were not guided by his faith.

“For me it’s not about religion but about humanity,” he said.

He said he was particularly troubled by Saturday’s bombing of a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, which killed 165 students and staff.

Prabowo to ‘evaluate’ Indonesian role in Gaza plan

Neither US nor Iranian officials have commented publicly on Prabowo’s mediation offer, although the Iranian ambassador to Indonesia expressed diplomatic appreciation.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Ambassador Mohammed Boroujerdi welcomed the offer of mediation but pointed out that “no steps” have been taken to make it a reality and lamented that talks would likely be futile.

“We believe that at present, any negotiations and discussions with the US government will not be useful, as they are not bound and do not adhere to any consequences,” Boroujerdi said.

With growing resentment toward the US among Indonesians in general and Trump’s peace board, and Prabowo’s role in it in particular, researcher Supriyatama said it appears the president is trying to garner support from members of Indonesia’s political elite.

Prabowo called a meeting on Tuesday attended by former presidents, vice presidents and political leaders, reportedly to assess the geopolitical and economic impact of the Iranian conflict.

According to official reports, after the meeting that lasted more than three hours, former Indonesian Foreign Minister Hasan Wirajuda told local media that Prabowo was willing to “evaluate” Indonesia’s role in Trump’s peace board, following the latest developments in Iran.

Supriyatma said that the president seems to be surrounded by his own foreign policy decisions.

Supriyatma said, “He cannot explain why Indonesia needs to join the BOP and, in my view, he has no clear stance on Indonesia’s position on the United States and Israel.”

“His pro-American position and tolerant approach toward Israel are not really popular in Indonesia,” he said.

He said, “But how long will this last? That is the question.”

“Can Prabowo maintain his current stance when footage of children dying from Israeli and American bombs is being widely circulated?”