- Currencynya melemah terus.
- Indeks sahamnya turun terus.
- Anggarannya defisit terus.
- Bendaharanya gak tau ada pembelian fasilitas masif.
- Pejabatnya ditanya anggarannya dari mana dijawab “pokoknya ada.”
I dont know how many “wallahi we’re finished” I have left in me.
Allowing British bases to be used in an illegal war of aggression is a catastrophic and historic mistake.
Britain has been dragged into another war because our Prime Minister would rather appease Donald Trump than stand up for international law.
War is not a game. This shameful decision makes Britain complicit in the devastating consequences ahead - and jeopardises the safety of us all.
I am a diplomatic aide in the Sultanate of Oman's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
My job is logistics. When two countries that cannot speak to each other need to speak to each other, I book the rooms. I prepare the briefing materials. I make sure the water glasses are the right distance apart. You would be surprised how much of diplomacy is water glasses. Too close and it feels informal. Too far and it feels like a tribunal. I have a chart.
We had a very good month.
Since January, Oman has been mediating indirect talks between the United States and Iran on Iran's nuclear program. The talks were held in Muscat and in Geneva. The Americans would sit in one room. The Iranians would sit in another room. I would walk between them. My Fitbit says I averaged fourteen thousand steps on negotiation days. The hallway between the two rooms at the Royal Opera House conference center is forty-seven meters. I walked it two hundred and twelve times in February. This is good for my cardiovascular health. It was less good for my knees. Both are in the service of peace.
By mid-February, we had something.
Iran agreed to zero stockpiling of enriched uranium. Not reduced stockpiling. Zero. They agreed to down-blend existing stockpiles to the lowest possible level. They agreed to convert them into irreversible fuel. They agreed to full IAEA verification with potential US inspector access. They agreed, in the Foreign Minister's phrase, to "never, ever" possess nuclear material for a bomb. I have worked in diplomacy for seven years. I have never seen a country agree to this many things this quickly. I made a spreadsheet of the concessions. It had fourteen rows. I color-coded it. Green for confirmed. Yellow for pending. By February 21 the spreadsheet was entirely green. I printed it. It is on my desk in Muscat. It is still green.
That phrase took eleven days. "Never, ever." The Iranians initially offered "not seek to." The Americans wanted "will not under any circumstances." We landed on "never, ever" at 2:14 AM on a Tuesday in Muscat. I typed the final version myself. I used Times New Roman because Geneva prefers it. The document was fourteen pages. I was proud of every comma.
Here is what they said, in the order they said it.
February 24: "We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity." — The Foreign Minister, private briefing to Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors. I prepared the slide deck. Slide 14 was the implementation timeline. Slide 15 was the signing ceremony logistics. I had reserved the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Room XX. It seats four hundred. We discussed pen brands for the signing. The Iranians preferred Montblanc. The Americans had no preference. I ordered twelve Montblanc Meisterstucks at six hundred and thirty dollars each. They arrive on Tuesday.
February 27, 8:30 AM EST: "The deal is within our reach." — The Foreign Minister, CBS Face the Nation. He sat across from Margaret Brennan. He said broad political terms could be agreed "tomorrow" with ninety days for technical implementation in Vienna. He said, and I wrote this line for the briefing card he carried in his breast pocket: "If we just allow diplomacy the space it needs." He praised the American envoys by name. Steve Witkoff. Jared Kushner. He said both had been constructive.
I watched from the Four Seasons Georgetown. The minibar had cashews. I ate the cashews. They were nineteen dollars. The most expensive cashew I have ever eaten. But it was a good morning and we were within our reach.
February 27, 2:00 PM EST: Meeting with Vice President Vance, Washington. The Foreign Minister presented our progress. Zero stockpiling. Full verification. Irreversible conversion. "Never, ever." The Vice President used the word "encouraging." His aide took notes on an iPad. The aide did not make eye contact for the last nine minutes of the meeting. I noticed this. Noticing things is the only part of my job that is not water glasses.
February 27, 4:00 PM EST: "Not happy with the pace." — President Trump, to reporters.
Not happy with the pace.
We had achieved zero stockpiling. Full IAEA verification. Irreversible fuel conversion. Inspector access. And the phrase "never, ever," which took eleven days and cost me two hundred and twelve trips down a forty-seven-meter hallway.
Every American president since Carter has failed to get Iran to agree to this. Forty-five years.
Not happy with the pace.
February 27, 9:47 PM EST: The Foreign Minister's flight departs Dulles for Muscat. I am in the seat behind him. He is reviewing Slide 14 on his laptop. The implementation timeline. Vienna technical sessions. The signing ceremony. The pens.
I fall asleep over the Atlantic. I dream about water glasses.
February 28, 6:00 AM GST: I wake up to push notifications.
February 28: "The United States has begun major combat operations in Iran." — President Trump.
Operation Epic Fury. Coordinated airstrikes. The United States and Israel. Tehran. Isfahan. Qom. Karaj. Kermanshah. Nuclear facilities. IRGC bases. Sites near the Supreme Leader's office. Israel called their half Operation Roaring Lion. Someone in both governments spent time choosing these names. Epic Fury. Roaring Lion. I spent eleven days on "never, ever." They spent it on branding. The President said Iran had "rejected American calls to halt its nuclear weapons production."
Rejected.
Iran had agreed to zero stockpiling. Iran had agreed to full verification. Iran had agreed to "never, ever." Iran had agreed to everything in a fourteen-page document that I typed in Times New Roman.
The President said they rejected it.
I do not know which document the President was reading. I know which one I typed.
February 28, 18:45 UTC: Iran internet connectivity: four percent. — NetBlocks, confirmed by Cloudflare. Ninety-six percent of a country went dark. You cannot negotiate with a country at four percent connectivity. You cannot negotiate with a country that is being struck. You cannot negotiate. This is not a political opinion. This is a logistics assessment.
February 28: The governor of Minab reported forty girls killed at an elementary school.
I do not have logistics for that. There is no slide for that. The water glass chart does not cover that.
February 28: Lockheed Martin: up. Northrop Grumman: up. RTX: up. Dow futures: down six hundred and twenty-two points. Gold: five thousand two hundred and ninety-six dollars. An analyst at AInvest published a note titled "Iran Strikes: Tactical Plays." The note recommended positions in oil, defense stocks, and gold.
The most expensive cashew I have ever eaten was nineteen dollars. The most expensive pen I have ever ordered was six hundred and thirty dollars. The math suggests I have been working in the wrong industry. Defense stocks do not require water glasses. Defense stocks do not require eleven days. Defense stocks require one morning.
February 28: Israel closed its airspace and its schools. Iran launched retaliatory missiles toward US bases in the Gulf. The Supreme Leader promised a "crushing response." Israel's defense minister declared a permanent state of emergency. Everyone is using words I recognize in an order I do not. I recognize "permanent." I recognize "emergency." I do not recognize them next to each other. In diplomacy, nothing is permanent and everything is an emergency. In war it is the reverse.
February 28: The Foreign Minister has not made a public statement.
The briefing card is still in his breast pocket. It still says "within our reach."
I unreservedly condemn the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. This act places the Middle East on the edge of grave and sustained instability. I extend my condolences to the Islamic Republic of Iran and to the Iranian people at this profoundly difficult moment.
Those who greet his death with approval should recognise the consequences of such actions. Existential threats seldom yield predictable reactions. The deliberate targeting of a head of state sets a dangerous precedent and weakens the norms and principles that underpin the international order.
At the same time, I urge the Iranian authorities to respond with the utmost restraint. Malaysia aligns itself with the statements issued by concerned countries calling on all parties to step back from further escalation.
My foremost concern remains the welfare and safety of Malaysians in Iran, the Gulf States and the wider Middle East. To all Malaysians in the affected region, your Government is taking every possible measure to ensure your protection. Our Missions have been given the full mandate and resources to assist you.
The Government will urgently evaluate the economic repercussions of the conflict, including risks to regional airspace and to freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Malaysia's trade and energy security are directly implicated, and we will act as necessary to safeguard our national interests.
Malaysia calls for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians and a return to serious dialogue. This crisis cannot be resolved by force. It requires diplomacy, restraint and political will.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Photo: AFP
This Trump–Netanyahu war is unconstitutional and violates international law.
It endangers the lives of U.S. troops and people across the region.
We’ve lived through the lies of Vietnam and Iraq.
No more endless wars. Congress must pass a War Powers Resolution immediately.
Bombing Iran in the middle of negotiations, while starving Cuba, while genociding Palestinians, while threatening to invade Greenland… the US and Israel are the single greatest threat to humanity and it’s not even close. We are all forced to live in the nightmare they create.
Today’s military strikes on Iran — carried out by the United States and Israel — mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression. Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace.
I am focused on making sure that every New Yorker is safe. I have been in contact with our Police Commissioner and emergency management officials. We are taking proactive steps, including increasing coordination across agencies and enhancing patrols of sensitive locations out of an abundance of caution.
Additionally, I want to speak directly to Iranian New Yorkers: you are part of the fabric of this city — you are our neighbors, small business owners, students, artists, workers, and community leaders. You will be safe here.
The U.S. military strike on Venezuela is deeply regrettable, as it contradicts the very principles of sovereignty and multilateralism that America has long championed. As a self-proclaimed guardian of global democracy, this unilateral action raises serious questions about their consistency, especially in today’s multipolar world where Russia’s and China’s influence in Latin America is growing stronger. It risks sparking widespread instability, compelling nations like Indonesia to navigate our national interests more strategically, rather than simply following ideological currents.
What happens to Venezuela also sets a precedent for other developing countries. It goes beyond a violation of sovereignty. It’s a deliberate effort to restrict the Global South’s freedom to manage its own resources. We must bolster solidarity among developing nations to safeguard the non-intervention principles we have long fought for.
The weaknesses of multilateral diplomacy, such as through the UN or the OAS, are becoming all too evident, rendering soft approaches like the ASEAN Way less effective against direct confrontations. It’s time for us to develop a more proactive diplomacy, including networks with non-state actors for effective mediation, rather than a passive neutrality that leaves us vulnerable as collateral damage.
This strike could also serve as a catalyst for reforming global governance from a Southern perspective. Indonesia has the opportunity to lead initiatives at the UN to amplify the voices of developing countries, particularly on strategic resources. This isn’t merely a moral response, but a survival strategy in a fragmented world, emphasizing leadership that builds bridges rather than yielding to destructive powers. •••
congratulations to the government. you’ve successfully radicalized your whole country in just under one week.
whatever the outcome of this mass protest wave is, tomorrow will never be the same.
SORRY YEEEE 🕌🙏
Maafkan diri ini bila belum setransparan pembuatan RUU TNI 🪖✋️
Masih banyak salah seperti pendirian Danantara 💱✍️
Acap berkata kasar dan mengucapkan Ndasmu 😡😭
Teriring salam dan kehangatan yang dapat memenuhi raga seperti Makan Bergizi Gratis 🍲🥖
Oke Gas menuju kemenangan, selamat merayakan Hari Idul Fitri 1446 H ☪️🎊