Fayyaz Ismail, former chairperson of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and former economic minister, criticised the Muizzu government for its handling of the latest Middle East crisis after the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on Saturday.
In a post on X on Saturday, Fayyaz said he “strongly condemn the devious attack on Iran by Israel and the USA,” and claimed Western powers seek to reshape the Middle East with an expanded Israel. He wrote that the idea of a Western-led human rights and democratic system had lost all credibility and called for the Global South to lead a new international order.
The joint US-Israel military attack, widely reported across global media, triggered explosions in Tehran and other cities, and prompted Iranian missile responses towards US bases and Israeli territory and other countries in the Middle East. Leaders in the United States described the offensive as intended to curb Tehran’s nuclear and missile ambitions, while Iran vowed retaliation against targets across the region.
In a second post, Fayyaz questioned whether the Maldives government was functioning, saying the country was among the first to be indirectly affected by the crisis. He said the government had failed to explain potential impacts to the public or outline precautions.
Fayyaz asked whether there were sufficient stocks of staples such as rice, sugar and cooking oil, and what steps had been taken to address challenges in importing goods. He also sought clarity on the government’s view on travel to the Middle East and efforts to mitigate risks.
“Maldives foreign policy will continue to be further marginalised,” he wrote, adding there was no official government position on the crisis and expressing that this amounted to a humiliation for the nation’s people.
The Maldives government has not issued an official statement on the US-Israel strikes or Fayyaz’s comments. As of now, there was no detailed response on food supplies, travel guidance, or diplomatic posture.
Global reaction to the strikes has been mixed. Russia condemned the military action as an unprovoked act of aggression and warned of a wider humanitarian and economic crisis, while Gulf neighbours reported missile interceptions and closures of airspace.