Following concerns raised by the United States over the role Malaysia-based service providers play in shipments of sanctioned Iranian oil, Malaysia announced on Wednesday ( May 8 ) that it would need to assess its response to unilaterally applied sanctions.
A senior US Treasury national stated this week that the country relied on Malaysian service companies to support Iran’s ability to move its fuel.
The official added that the US was attempting to stop Malaysia from becoming a place where Hamas, a militant group in Palestine, may raise funds and then transfer funds.
Fahmi Fadzil, a spokesperson for the Malaysian authorities, said the nation was ready to talk with US peers to get their point across and pledged to abide by UN sanctions.
” We want to argue that Malaysia, as a sovereign country, we agree with UN punishment”, he told investigators.
” But when it comes to formally applied punishment, then I think we have to determine this position”.
In a bid to reduce funding for violent groups that are routed through Southeast Asia, Undersecretaries of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson and Neil MacBride, Treasury General Counsel, are scheduled to visit Malaysia this year.