KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) on Tuesday (Jan 27) expressed grave concern over mounting tensions between the United States and Iran, warning that the growing concentration of military assets and increasingly absolutist rhetoric risk pushing an already volatile situation towards open conflict. He said any confrontation between Washington and Tehran would have repercussions across an already fragile Middle East, with the risk of proxy escalation, threats to maritime security and severe economic shock extending beyond the region. "No strategic interest could justify such human and material devastation that such conflict would entail,” he posted on Facebook. He also commended Oman’s constructive efforts to facilitate dialogue and urged countries with influence to use every available means to promote de-escalation and exercise utmost restraint in the interest of regional and international stability. International media reported that the Iranian government is bracing for a fresh US and Israeli missile assault following the deployment of key assets from the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the region.

Source: The Star January 27, 2026 15:02 UTC