Did fear of US force Indonesia’s ‘slap in the face’ to Iran?

When Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was laid to rest in Tehran earlier this month, Indonesia, home to more Muslims than any other nation on Earth, decided to send only its ambassador – at first. The decision raised questions not only about Jakarta’s non-aligned foreign policy but also the tensions at the heart of President Prabowo Subianto’s prized “good-neighbour” diplomacy. One former Indonesian ambassador called the minimal initial presence “a slap in the face” for Iran and asked whether Washingto...

By Resty Woro Yuniar