Kuala Lampur, March 3 -- When drones and missiles rain down on member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the tremors are not confined to the Middle East.

They reverberate across Asia's sea lanes, energy markets, currencies and stock exchanges.

The nightmare scenario unfolding in the Gulf is not a distant war. It is a systemic shock.

And Asean Plus Three - comprising Asean, China, Japan and South Korea - is deeply exposed.

The escalation following Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026, which reportedly resulted in the assassination of 48 senior Iranian religious and political leaders, has fundamentally altered the strategic calculus.

Tehran, which had participated in earlier diplomatic engagements in Geneva and Muscat an...