KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has urged the United States (US) and Iran to pursue a diplomatic off-ramp rather than further escalation.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also called on the international community to act with urgency and without double standards.
Anwar stressed that an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities is imperative.
“The Israeli strikes on Iran, and the American military action that has accompanied them, bring the Middle East to the edge of catastrophe.
“Israel’s initiation of these strikes was a vile attempt to sabotage ongoing negotiations and to drag other nations into a conflict that could prove impossible to contain,” he said in a statement on Facebook today.
The Prime Minister has expressed concern over the safety of Malaysians in Iran and elsewhere in the region, adding that the government will be in touch with regional partners on the next steps in this regard.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated sharply as the US and Israel launched attacks on Saturday, with Israel describing it as a “pre-emptive strike” against its arch-enemy to eliminate threats.
The strikes came after the US significantly increased its military build-up in the region to pressure Tehran to scale down its nuclear programme, and following a crackdown in Iran on widespread protests.
-- BERNAMA
BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial
