Malaysia urges restraint, India seeks peace as Middle East conflict widens

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim extended his country's support Monday to "credible efforts" toward ending mounting hostilities in the Middle East amid the US-Israeli offensive on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory strikes. In a statement on X, Anwar said: "Malaysia stands ready to support any credible effort toward a negotiated cessation of hostilities," calling on the international community to act with "urgency and purpose" before the conflict claims "yet more lives and pulls yet more nations into its wake."

Restraint calls welcomed

Anwar noted he was encouraged "by calls of restraint that have emerged from the highest levels in Iran amid the continuing conflict across the Gulf and wider West Asia," apparently referring to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's apology for Tehran's attacks on its neighbors and promises of restraint unless their territory is used to strike Iran. "They deserve to be taken seriously and honored," Anwar maintained, while observing that Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have faced repeated attacks, with energy facilities, water installations and other critical infrastructure hit.

Global consequences

The Malaysian leader warned that disruption in the region carries consequences far beyond the Middle East, as the world's oil and shipping routes run through these waters. "There will always be voices urging a harder line, but history has rarely been kind to those who chose escalation over negotiation when the door to dialogue was still open," Anwar said. "Keeping it open takes real courage."

India favors peace

Separately, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar told parliament that India is in "favor of peace" and urges a "return to dialogue and diplomacy" to end the mounting crisis. "We advocate de-escalation, restraint and ensuring the safety of civilians," he said, adding that New Delhi will continue working with regional governments toward that end. Jaishankar revealed that Tehran requested on Feb. 28 for three Iranian ships to dock at Indian ports, with the crew of IRIS Lavan, which docked at Kochi port, still in Indian naval facilities.

Regional toll mounts

The statements come as the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, now in its second week, has killed more than 1,250 people according to Iranian authorities, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and 165 schoolgirls in a Minab school attack. Tehran has retaliated with missile and drone strikes targeting Israel, Iraq, Jordan and Gulf countries hosting US assets. At least three Bangladeshis, two each from Pakistan and India, and one each from China and Nepal have been killed in the conflict, while three Indonesians went missing after a UAE-flagged tugboat sank in the Strait of Hormuz Friday.