JAKARTA - Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto warned Indonesians on Monday, March 10, that the Middle East war will hit home, and promised to lay out the full picture in a national briefing soon.

"The whole world is being shaken by the war in the Middle East. Frankly, we must face hardship," he said at a virtual ceremony inaugurating 218 bridges across Indonesia, broadcast on the Sekretariat Presiden YouTube channel. 

He went further elsewhere in the speech,"We are in a world full of danger. The great powers are fighting and could drag other nations into difficult conditions."

“Because of the war in the Middle East, we must be ready to face hardship. We have great strength, but I will also be honest. I will deliver a national briefing to all Indonesians in the near future,” he said. "We will face difficulties. I will not hide that prediction. But we will emerge from this crisis stronger, more prosperous, and more self-reliant.”

Prabowo has previously offered to mediate the Iran-Israel-US conflict and fly to Tehran himself.

But while Iran's embassy in Jakarta welcomed the gesture, critics at home, led by former Deputy Foreign Minister Dino Patti Djalal, called it “highly unrealistic” and “political suicide.” The former Indonesian ambassador for the US also said that Indonesia lacks the diplomatic standing and relationships with Israel, and the leverage to bring any of the three parties to the table.

Trump shut down any prospect of negotiations on March 3, posting on Truth Social that Iran had sought talks and that his response was simple, “They want to talk. I said, ‘Too Late!’” Four days later, he hardened the position further, writing, “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”

The speech came as Indonesian markets opened sharply lower. The rupiah breached Rp17,000 per dollar at the open, hitting Rp17,017, down 0.5% from Friday’s close at Rp16,925, while the IHSG fell as much as 5%, briefly touching 7,156. 

Oil had also already crossed $100 per barrel, past the Rp92 threshold the government had set as the ceiling for stable domestic fuel prices in a market that’s badly affected by the Middle Eastern conflict. Celios Executive Director Bhima Yudhistira, speaking March 1, had warned that at $100-120 oil, state spending could swell by Rp515 trillion. 

“The Government of the Republic of Indonesia will not allow its people to suffer and face difficulties,” Prabowo said at the close of the speech.