Indonesia Feels Heat to Exit Trump's Peace Board After Iran Strikes

Candles flicker across Jakarta as 270 million Indonesians—87% of them Muslim—watch their government navigate an increasingly uncomfortable position. Following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, domestic pressure is mounting for Indonesia to withdraw from Trump's Board of Peace, a move that could reshape Southeast Asian geopolitics.

When Streets Speak Louder Than Diplomats

The images are striking: Indonesian women lighting candles for Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, crowds gathering outside the US Embassy, and over 50 civil society groups issuing condemnation statements. The Board of Peace, launched by the Trump administration as a Middle East stability initiative, now faces its biggest credibility test.

"How can it be called a 'Peace Board' when its leader just bombed Iran?" asks Rizki Amelia, a political science professor at the University of Indonesia. The sentiment echoes across the archipelago, where the strikes are seen not as targeted military action but as Western aggression against a Muslim nation.

The Domino Effect Across Southeast Asia

Indonesia isn't alone in this bind. Malaysia (61% Muslim) and Brunei (67% Muslim) face similar domestic pressures. Malaysia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing "deep concern" over the Iran strikes but stopped short of threatening withdrawal from the Peace Board.

The calculation is complex: while public opinion demands solidarity with Iran, economic reality suggests caution. The US remains one of the region's largest trading partners, with $35 billion in annual trade with Indonesia alone.

The Economic Tightrope

President Joko Widodo's administration finds itself caught between competing pressures. The new capital city project—Indonesia's most ambitious infrastructure undertaking—relies heavily on American investment and technology. US companies have committed $15 billion to various Indonesian projects over the next five years.

Yet domestic political survival may depend on responding to public sentiment. With 230 million Indonesian Muslims watching, Widodo can't simply ignore the streets. The question becomes: can Indonesia thread the needle between principle and profit?

Regional Realignment at Stake

The Iran crisis exposes deeper fractures in Southeast Asian foreign policy. ASEAN's traditional non-alignment principle clashes with the reality of choosing sides in an increasingly polarized world. If Indonesia—ASEAN's largest economy—withdraws from the Peace Board, it could trigger a broader regional realignment away from US-led initiatives.

China, meanwhile, watches carefully. Beijing has already dispatched an envoy to the Middle East for mediation, positioning itself as an alternative to American leadership. For Southeast Asian nations seeking to balance great power competition, the Iran crisis presents both risk and opportunity.