Pribadi Wicaksono (Kontributor), Jakarta – Jusuf Kalla, Indonesia's former Vice President, conveyed the results of his meeting with President Prabowo Subianto and several other figures at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, March 3.

During the meeting with several former presidents, vice presidents, and party bosses, JK hoped for a clearer diplomatic stance from the Indonesian government regarding the Middle East conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.

JK hopes that President Prabowo will show moral support and solidarity towards Iran, which faced a barrage of attacks by the US and Israel since Saturday, February 28.

"Of course, we hope that he (Prabowo) will show sympathy towards Iran," said JK after delivering a sermon at the UGM Mosque in Yogyakarta on Thursday, March 5, 2026.

But JK acknowledged that efforts to reconcile the warring parties are no easy feat, thus requiring strategic steps to target the roots of the conflict.

The former Indonesian VP believes that the party initiating the conflict must be the one encouraged to stop the fighting, referring to US President Donald Trump.

To achieve an effective ceasefire, diplomatic visits and pressure must be directed to the attacking parties, according to JK.

Additionally, he suggested that the Indonesian government continue to optimize the use of international instruments such as the Board of Peace to achieve global stability.

In the closed-door meeting with Prabowo and several Indonesian figures, JK said they also discussed government policies besides Indonesia's stance on current geopolitical dynamics.

"Yes (Prabowo discussed in the meeting) the state of the country, and government policies," he said.

Regarding the sermon at the UGM Campus Mosque, JK stated that efforts to create peace must be based on justice and the mastery of knowledge and technology.

He believes that conflicts often arise due to injustice, political issues, social problems, territorial disputes, and competition for natural resources.

He also highlighted the irony of conflicts in Muslim-majority countries and the shift in paradigm of modern warfare, which is now determined not by the number of personnel but by the sophistication of technology such as drones and missile systems.

"War is now no longer about the number of soldiers, but about who controls technology," he said.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2091003/former-vp-jusuf-kalla-hopes-prabowo-shows-sympathy-for-ira