PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has warned that selective enforcement of international law is undermining confidence in the global order, as he condemned the ongoing military conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
Speaking at the opening of the Forum Ilmuwan Malaysia MADANI in Kuala Lumpur, Anwar said global principles lose their credibility when they are applied inconsistently, eroding trust in international institutions.
The forum, titled Strategies for Malaysia and ASEAN in an Era of Global Instability, also featured participation from economist Jeffrey D. Sachs, president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
"Principles lose their authority when they are invoked selectively. These inconsistencies undermine confidence in the very foundations of the international system", he said.
The prime minister strongly criticised the attacks on Iran, describing the conflict as aggression linked to Israel’s geopolitical ambitions in West Asia and supported by American military power.
"We meet today in the midst of a war foisted on a sovereign state of Iran and its people, driven by the hegemonic ambitions of Israel in West Asia and principally aided and abetted by the formidable war machine of the United States of America," he said.
According to Anwar, the conflict has involved targeted assassinations of political, military and religious figures, alongside strikes that have caused civilian deaths and significant damage to infrastructure.
"Targeted killings of spiritual, political and military leaders are executed with surgical precision, while missile attacks massacre schoolchildren as they go about their lessons," he said.
Anwar warned that turmoil in the Middle East rarely remains confined to the region and has already begun to affect global markets.
"History reminds us that instability in this region rarely remains confined within its borders. The escalation of this war has already sparked massive disruptions in global energy markets," he said.
He added that the Malaysian government has convened an emergency meeting of the Malaysia Economic Advisory Council to evaluate the potential economic implications of the conflict.
"We (Malaysia) have to deliberate some key issues because the war has its ramifications throughout the world and is affecting us here in Malaysia," he said.
Anwar said Malaysia’s stance reflects a principled position that has received bipartisan support in Parliament, noting that the country has consistently condemned Israeli military actions and criticised the role of the United States in the conflict.
He also called for restraint and renewed diplomatic engagement across the region to prevent further escalation.
Highlighting the broader consequences of war, Anwar said armed conflicts inevitably inflict significant economic damage.
"War disrupts production, damages infrastructure, and diverts national resources towards military expenditure rather than well-being.
"These pressures translate into higher energy prices, rising inflation, greater fiscal restraint, and ultimately, hardship and misery for the majority of people," he said. - March 16, 2026
