Malaysia Ready To Help Broker Middle East Peace — While Unsubsidised Diesel Surges To RM5.52 Back Home

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is pushing for a negotiated end to the Iran-US conflict, backing Pakistan’s offer to host peace talks and holding direct calls with leaders across the Gulf, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia and Japan.

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Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has thrown Malaysia’s support behind international efforts to bring the United States and Iran to the negotiating table, welcoming Pakistan’s offer to host dialogue between the two countries.

In a statement posted on social media on Wednesday (25 March), Anwar commended Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for stepping forward “at a moment of acute regional danger,” and credited Oman and other countries for their earlier diplomatic efforts.

The latest statement builds on a pattern of quiet but growing diplomatic engagement.

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia reached out to Kuala Lumpur directly, asking if Malaysia could help mediate in the conflict — a telling signal that the country’s reputation as a stable, neutral voice carries real weight beyond its size.

Anwar said Malaysia encourages both the US and Iran to respond to Pakistan’s offer in good faith, noting what he described as cautious signs that some room for diplomacy may still exist.

That space should be treated with the seriousness it deserves.

He stressed that any negotiations must be genuine — with a clear commitment to ending the conflict, not simply slowing it down for tactical reasons, warning that the region has seen too many ceasefires that function as temporary pauses rather than lasting solutions.

No Troops — But A Seat At The Table

Malaysia’s diplomatic engagement comes with a firm caveat: no military involvement, under any circumstances.

Speaking at a public event in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, earlier this month, Anwar made the country’s position unambiguous — dialogue, not force, is Malaysia’s instrument of choice.

“We do not agree when any country is attacked and colonised,” he said, adding that Malaysia would equally reject any foreign interference in its own affairs.

It is a consistent position, and one that has earned Malaysia an unlikely degree of international credibility — credibility that larger powers are now quietly seeking to leverage.

Anwar also reaffirmed Malaysia’s position that Iran has the right to defend its sovereignty under international law, particularly in the face of continued Israeli strikes on Iran and Lebanon.

At the same time, he called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and warned that Gulf states and their civilian populations must not be drawn further into a conflict they did not choose.

The Gulf states, the region and the world have much at stake — economically, socially and in terms of long-term stability.

Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian prime minister says, “I welcome Pakistan’s timely and constructive offer to host dialogue between the United States and Iran, recognising its strong relationships and credible voice in the Muslim world. Any talks must reflect genuine intent to end the… pic.twitter.com/6P2z0IiN9k
— Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) March 25, 2026

A Pointed Remark On Double Standards

Anwar also took aim at what he described as the selective application of international law, without naming specific countries.

International law cannot be invoked selectively. It cannot shield one party from accountability while denying another its inherent right to self-defence.

The remark is widely understood as a reference to Western nations that have backed Israel while simultaneously championing a rules-based international order.

He added that he had held direct discussions in recent days with leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan and Pakistan, among others, to advocate for de-escalation, and that Malaysia would continue to support every credible effort toward a just and lasting peace.

Malaysia’s diplomatic posture, however, carries a price tag that is increasingly hard to ignore — to keep RON95 petrol at RM1.99 per litre and diesel at RM2.15 per litre in Sabah and Sarawak.

Adding urgency to those concerns, the Finance Ministry confirmed that the unsubsidised price of RON95 will rise to RM3.87 per litre from Wednesday (26 March) — up from RM3.27 — while diesel on the peninsula surges to RM5.52 per litre, as global crude oil prices surpass USD100 per barrel, pushing the government’s monthly fuel subsidy burden beyond RM3 billion even as BUDI95 and Sabah-Sarawak diesel prices remain protected for now.

At the same time, the retail price of RON97 petrol will increase by 60 sen per litre, with the new price set at RM5.15 starting from 26 March.