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View all search resultsPrabowo draws flak over Iran nuclear remarks, North Korea mediation claim
President Prabowo Subianto has drawn criticism over his suggestion that Iran possessed nuclear weapons and his declaration of readiness to help mediate dialogue between South Korea and North Korea.
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President Prabowo Subianto gestures on Friday as he speaks during a meeting with Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) members at the State Palace. (Antara/Galih Pradipta)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto has drawn criticism over his suggestion that Iran possessed nuclear weapons and his declaration of readiness to help mediate dialogue between South Korea and North Korea, with experts calling both remarks imprudent.
Prabowo’s remarks came from a speech he delivered before Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) members at the State Palace on Friday in which the President outlined mounting geopolitical challenges facing Indonesia.
In the livestreamed event, Prabowo discussed the tensions in the Middle East, claiming that Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons could prompt neighboring states to do the same.
“It is said that Iran already has nuclear weapons. Now, Saudi Arabia also wants nuclear weapons. If Saudi Arabia wants nuclear weapons, it is possible that the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt will also want nuclear weapons,” Prabowo said on Friday.
However, the livestream on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel abruptly cut to a government advertisement shortly after the remarks, while the uploaded recording later omitted the segment.
A clip of Prabowo’s speech quickly gained traction on social media and has drawn widespread criticism from foreign policy experts, who said the statement was “unsubstantiated” and risked reinforcing narratives used to justify military strikes against Iran earlier this year.
“Alleging that Iran possesses nuclear weapons was precisely the pretext used by Israel and the United States to launch their attacks [on Iran],” Shofwan Al Banna, an international relations lecturer at the University of Indonesia, said on Sunday.
