PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has warned that the latest US-Iran strikes could drag the wider Middle East into an even more destructive war, urging both sides to immediately halt further escalation and return to diplomacy.
In a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, Anwar said the latest exchange of strikes had extended beyond the United States and Iran into other states in the region, raising the risk of a broader conflict.
“The party with the greatest capacity to shape events bears a particular responsibility to exercise restraint and prevent further escalation,” he said in a Facebook post.
“The sovereignty of other states cannot be cast aside. No military objective justifies exposing civilians to an expanding conflict.”
Anwar also cautioned against economic measures that impose hardship on civilians and hinder diplomatic engagement, saying they risked worsening rather than resolving the crisis.
“I urge the United States and Iran to halt further escalation and return immediately to diplomacy and the understandings reached in June,” he said.
He stressed that the conflict could ultimately be resolved only through political and diplomatic means.
“The world must not be made to pay the price for a wider regional war,” he said. - September 2, 2026
