ASEAN Beat | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia

How Southeast Asia Responded to the Outbreak of the Iran War

In the wake of the attacks, most of the region’s governments have issued calls for restraint and a return to political dialogue.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump oversees Operation Epic Fury at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, United States, Feb. 28, 2026.

The joint U.S.-Israeli assaults on Iran and the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have prompted a range of reactions across the globe, from shock and protest to celebration. Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei’s death yesterday and declared a 40-day mourning period, while U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the conflict with Iran could go on for the next four weeks.

In Southeast Asia, most governments have publicly expressed alarm about the outbreak of war, which interrupted ongoing talks between the Trump administration and the Islamic Republic, issuing calls for restraint and a return to diplomatic processes.

The most outspoken government in the region was Muslim-majority Malaysia, an outspoken critic of Israel that has for years maintained friendly relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. In a statement, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry condemned both the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, as well as the retaliatory Iranian missile strikes on Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar. “At this critical juncture, all parties must exercise maximum restraint to prevent further escalation that could destabilize the region and carry wider global consequences,” it stated.

However, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was more outspoken, condemning “unreservedly” the assassination of Ali Khamenei and arguing that the strikes have brought the Middle East to “the edge of grave and sustained instability.” He also promised to table a parliamentary motion condemning the attacks on Iran. “The cruelty of Zionist Israel never stops because they have lost all sense of humanity,” he said at a fast-breaking ceremony yesterday.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry also issued a statement calling on all parties “to exercise restraint and to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy.” It also reiterated the “importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every country and resolving differences through peaceful means.” Meanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto has said he was willing to travel to Tehran “to conduct mediation,” although no party has expressed any support for his proposal so far.

Meanwhile, acting Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Panidone Pachimsawat told reporters that Bangkok is “closely monitoring the situation with grave concern.” He added that the 110,000 Thai nationals in the Middle East, the majority of whom work in Israel, has been placed on alert and that a plan for their evacuation “has been prepared.” Forty-six Thai nationals were killed in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, most of them during Hamas’ attack into southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

A similar consideration has guided the Philippine government’s responses. There are currently around 2.2 million Filipinos living and working in Western Asia, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that their well-being was the government’s top priority. He said that he had instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers “to take measures to determine their whereabouts in affected areas and to take immediate measures to ensure their safety.”

In a statement, the DFA said that no Filipinos had been injured in the initial attacks, but that the Philippine embassies in Tehran, Iran and Tel Aviv were “on full alert.” Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro called on all parties to “resort immediately” to dialogue and negotiations.

Most of the other governments in the region issued statements calling for various variations of restraint. At a press briefing on Saturday, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said that her government “calls upon all relevant parties to exercise maximum restraint, immediately end all escalatory actions, protect civilians and essential infrastructure, and resolve differences through peaceful means in strict accordance with international law, the United Nations Charter, and relevant U.N. resolutions.”

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it “regrets the failure of negotiations” and the outbreak of war and similarly urged all parties “to return to negotiations to achieve a peaceful resolution in accordance with international law and the principles of the U.N. Charter.” Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry similarly called on “all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation that would harm civilian lives and undermine peace.”

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The joint U.S.-Israeli assaults on Iran and the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have prompted a range of reactions across the globe, from shock and protest to celebration. Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei’s death yesterday and declared a 40-day mourning period, while U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the conflict with Iran could go on for the next four weeks.

In Southeast Asia, most governments have publicly expressed alarm about the outbreak of war, which interrupted ongoing talks between the Trump administration and the Islamic Republic, issuing calls for restraint and a return to diplomatic processes.

The most outspoken government in the region was Muslim-majority Malaysia, an outspoken critic of Israel that has for years maintained friendly relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. In a statement, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry condemned both the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, as well as the retaliatory Iranian missile strikes on Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar. “At this critical juncture, all parties must exercise maximum restraint to prevent further escalation that could destabilize the region and carry wider global consequences,” it stated.

However, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was more outspoken, condemning “unreservedly” the assassination of Ali Khamenei and arguing that the strikes have brought the Middle East to “the edge of grave and sustained instability.” He also promised to table a parliamentary motion condemning the attacks on Iran. “The cruelty of Zionist Israel never stops because they have lost all sense of humanity,” he said at a fast-breaking ceremony yesterday.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry also issued a statement calling on all parties “to exercise restraint and to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy.” It also reiterated the “importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every country and resolving differences through peaceful means.” Meanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto has said he was willing to travel to Tehran “to conduct mediation,” although no party has expressed any support for his proposal so far.

Meanwhile, acting Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Panidone Pachimsawat told reporters that Bangkok is “closely monitoring the situation with grave concern.” He added that the 110,000 Thai nationals in the Middle East, the majority of whom work in Israel, has been placed on alert and that a plan for their evacuation “has been prepared.” Forty-six Thai nationals were killed in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, most of them during Hamas’ attack into southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

A similar consideration has guided the Philippine government’s responses. There are currently around 2.2 million Filipinos living and working in Western Asia, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that their well-being was the government’s top priority. He said that he had instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers “to take measures to determine their whereabouts in affected areas and to take immediate measures to ensure their safety.”

In a statement, the DFA said that no Filipinos had been injured in the initial attacks, but that the Philippine embassies in Tehran, Iran and Tel Aviv were “on full alert.” Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro called on all parties to “resort immediately” to dialogue and negotiations.

Most of the other governments in the region issued statements calling for various variations of restraint. At a press briefing on Saturday, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said that her government “calls upon all relevant parties to exercise maximum restraint, immediately end all escalatory actions, protect civilians and essential infrastructure, and resolve differences through peaceful means in strict accordance with international law, the United Nations Charter, and relevant U.N. resolutions.”

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it “regrets the failure of negotiations” and the outbreak of war and similarly urged all parties “to return to negotiations to achieve a peaceful resolution in accordance with international law and the principles of the U.N. Charter.” Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry similarly called on “all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation that would harm civilian lives and undermine peace.”

Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat. 

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