KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Malaysia stands ready to support any credible effort towards a negotiated cessation of hostilities as the conflict in the Gulf and West Asia intensifies, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.

Anwar said in line with the principled bipartisan stand taken by the Malaysian Parliament, he was encouraged by calls for restraint that have emerged from the highest levels in Iran amid the continuing conflict.

“They deserve to be taken seriously and honoured. 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.

“Keeping it open takes real courage,” he posted on Facebook.

Anwar said the situation remained deeply alarming as several countries in the Gulf had faced repeated attacks, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

He said that the violence had also spread beyond the Gulf to affect Azerbaijan, Jordan and Turkiye.

Energy facilities, water installations and other critical infrastructure relied upon by millions for daily life had also been hit.

“The world’s oil and shipping routes run through these waters. Disruption here carries consequences far beyond the region,” he said.

The prime minister hence called on the international community to act with urgency and purpose before the conflict claims more lives and draws more nations into its wake. — Bernama