Malaysia urges de-escalation as US–Iran tensions mount

27 January 2026

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed grave concern over the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, warning that the situation risks tipping into open conflict if restraint is not urgently exercised.

In a statement today, Anwar said the growing concentration of military assets and increasingly absolutist public rhetoric have narrowed the space for restraint at precisely the moment when it is most needed.

“Any confrontation between Washington and Tehran would have repercussions across an already fragile Middle East,” he said, cautioning that the risk of proxy escalation, maritime insecurity and economic shocks could extend far beyond the immediate region.

Anwar stressed that no strategic interest could justify the scale of human and material devastation that would result from such a conflict, underscoring that the imperative of peace must prevail over all other considerations.

Malaysia, he said, urges all parties to step back from the brink and recommit to diplomacy with seriousness and urgency, fully utilising all available channels of communication.

The prime minister also welcomed Oman's role in facilitating dialogue and reducing tensions, and called on countries with influence to employ all available means to encourage de-escalation.

"We further urge all countries with influence to use every available means to encourage de-escalation and exercise utmost restraint in the interest of regional and international stability," Anwar said.