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More lives continue to be lost as the war in the Gulf entered its fourth day.
On Saturday, February 28, Israel launched a missile strike on Tehran in what it described as a “preventive attack” against Iran. One strike reportedly hit near the compound of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Hours later, it was revealed that the operation had been coordinated with Washington. US President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States had coordinated major combat operations in Iran. The missions were codenamed “Epic Fury” (US) and “Roaring Lion” (Israel).
In a press conference, Trump said the strikes were aimed at curbing Iran’s alleged plans to attack the United States.
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies throughout the world,” he said.
“Iran is the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror… It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I’ll say it again: They can never have a nuclear weapon,” he continued.
Later in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined Israel’s justification for the attack, saying “the aim of the operation is to put an end to the threat from the Ayatollah regime in Iran,” which he described as an “oppressor.”
He added, “For 47 years, the regime in Iran has called for death to Israel, death to America… It spread a vast network of terror across the entire world. It invested enormous resources to develop atomic bombs and tens of thousands of missiles intended, as it defined it, to erase Israel from the map.”
Later that day, it was confirmed that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in the strike.
In retaliation, Iran launched attacks against Israel as well as US assets across the Gulf, including Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The escalating conflict in the Gulf has forced Asian leaders into a difficult geopolitical balancing act. Across the continent, reactions range from sharp diplomatic condemnation to pragmatic silence, all driven by a shared anxiety over energy security and the safety of millions of citizens living in the crossfire.
Indonesia
Indonesia, despite its geographic distance from the Middle East, has found itself caught in the diplomatic crossfire.
Jakarta is carefully executing what analysts describe as a balancing strategy, managing its position as the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation while also honouring a significant new cooperation agreement with the Trump administration.
Just days before the strikes, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto pledged 8,000 troops to the US-led Board of Peace, a multinational stabilisation force intended to oversee security and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
Domestic pressure has since intensified. As a predominantly Muslim nation, Indonesia faces strong public sentiment, with the Indonesian Ulema Council urging the government to withdraw from international security partnerships in protest of the attacks. The Iranian embassy in Jakarta has also called on Indonesia to formally condemn the US-Israel strikes.
Yet the Prabowo administration has so far avoided a direct diplomatic rupture with Washington. Instead, Jakarta has attempted to position itself as a neutral mediator. President Prabowo has even offered to travel to Tehran personally to help reopen dialogue.
By presenting itself as a bridge between the West and the Islamic world, Indonesia appears to be trying to balance domestic pro-Iran sentiment while preserving the economic and security agreements it has recently secured with the United States.
Malaysia
In Malaysia, the reaction to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran has been among the most vocal and condemnatory in the region.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took the rare step of tabling an emergency motion in Parliament on March 2, 2026, where lawmakers from across the political spectrum displayed a historic show of unity to denounce the military action.
Anwar described the strikes as a "vile attempt" to sabotage ongoing peace negotiations brokered by Oman and openly branded the Western position as "hypocrisy." He stated that Malaysia could no
longer "swallow" lectures on human rights from nations involved in unprovoked attacks on sovereign states. This bold diplomatic shift has seen Malaysia signal a move closer to Iran in trade and education, viewing its firm stance as a necessary display of solidarity despite domestic complexities regarding religious denominations.
Economically, the conflict presents a "complex paradox" for Malaysia. As an oil and natural gas exporter, the country could see a short-term boost in government revenue through Petronas due to surging global oil prices.
However, Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah has warned that these gains are likely to be offset by the rising costs of imported refined petroleum and a general spike in maritime insurance premiums for the Strait of Hormuz, a route critical to 20% of global oil supply.
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