JAKARTA — Indonesia’s foreign minister said talks on President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative have been put on hold as diplomatic attention shifts to the escalating Middle East conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.The US and Israeli war on Iran has killed scores of civilians, thrown global air transport into chaos and sent oil prices surging after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.“All BoP discussions are on hold as all attention has shifted to the situation in Iran,” Foreign Minister Sugiono, who goes by one name, said late on Tuesday in response to a question on calls for Indonesia to exit the peace board in the aftermath of the fresh conflict in the Middle East.“We will also consult with our friends and colleagues in the Gulf because they are also under attack,” Sugiono told reporters after attending an event alongside President Prabowo Subianto.The world’s largest Muslim-majority nation attended the board’s inaugural meeting in Washington last month and has been preparing to deploy up to 8,000 troops for possible peacekeeping duties.Meanwhile, Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, said Jakarta should use its position to press Israel and the United States to halt the violence.Trump first proposed the board in September when he unveiled a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza, later expanding its remit to address other global conflicts typically handled by the United Nations.Sugiono also said Prabowo is willing to be a mediator in the Iran war in a bid “to cool down and de-escalate the situation in the region.”
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