'Govt continues to monitor developments in Middle East': Faishal Ibrahim checks in with S'porean students in Middle East

Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim spoke with over 40 Singaporean student leaders studying in the Middle East on Jun. 21, 2025.

"I am concerned about the escalating tensions in the Middle East, and especially worried for Singaporeans including students pursuing higher Islamic education at overseas institutions in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait," he wrote on Facebook today.

He spoke via Zoom call with over 40 student leaders from PERKEMAS (Singapore Student Welfare Assembly) in Egypt and the Singaporean Students' Association in Jordan.

"This call was important - it was an opportunity for me to check in on our students, to listen, understand, and offer my assurance that the safety, well-being and welfare of our students are foremost in our minds."

Faishal added that the government will continue to monitor the Middle East's developments closely.

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore is also working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to stay in close communication with the students.

"In these times of uncertainty, I am heartened that our student leaders are stepping up to engage their peers, and looking out for one another. This ensures that every student feels safe, supported and can focus on their studies," said Faishal.

Tensions

On Jun. 21, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. military forces attacked three nuclear sites in Iran.

"All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of bombs was dropped on the primary site, Fordow," wrote Trump on Truth Social.

He ended his post by saying: "Now it's the time for peace."

The attack comes more than a week after the Israel-Iran conflict on June 13.

In a press conference on Jun. 22 (Singapore time), Trump delivered a four-minute speech confirming that the U.S. had carried out "massive precision strikes" on three Iranian nuclear facilities, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

He also described Iran's nuclear program as a "horribly destructive enterprise".

Trump said the U.S.'s objective was the "destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity, and a stop to the nuclear threat" posed by Iran, which he described as "the world's number one state sponsor of terror".

He said the strikes were a "spectacular military success" and that Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities "have been completely and totally obliterated".

He called on Iran, which he described as "the bully of the Middle East", to make peace, threatening that future strikes would be "far greater and a lot easier", later suggesting that the three facilities hit were by far the most difficult targets.

Top photo via Faishal Ibrahim/Facebook