As the United States narrows its focus on funding militant groups that are routed through Southeast Asia, a US Treasury official issued a warning about environmental risks from illegal transfers of Iranian oil off Malaysia, according to Malaysiakini news on Thursday ( May 9 ).
A senior US Treasury national stated this week that the country relies on Malaysian service providers to shift its fuel.
The official added that the United States was attempting to stop Malaysia from becoming a place where Hamas, a militant group in Palestine, could lift and move money.
According to Malaysiakini, one of the main way Iran raised wealth was through the sale of illegal oil to customers in East Asia, according to Brian Nelson, the US Treasury undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
According to reports, he claimed that “many of these supplies traverse the waterways around Malaysia and are loaded onto arteries with doubtful legality that may also cause significant environmental and safety hazards.”
Nelson expressed concern for any events that offer” ship-to-ship” exchanges of illicit crude because these maneuvers could cause accidents or fuel spills that may threaten Malaysia’s coasts.
According to Nelson, there has also been a rise in attempt by Iran and its proxy, including Hamas, to lift and transfer money in Southeast Asia.
He urged people to donate to respected organizations so that aid from Gaza could be distributed elsewhere.
This year, Nelson and Neil MacBride, Treasury General Counsel, will make a trip to Singapore and Malaysia to help with efforts to combat Iran’s financing and revenue-generating activities.
Malaysia’s prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment right away.
However, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, the home secretary, claimed at a meeting on Thursday that he had discussed the government’s position on sanctions with Nelson. Saifuddin claimed that Malaysia would abide by UN sanctions but refuse to accept unilateral punishment.
He furthermore informed Nelson that Malaysia had looked into and taken action against a group with alleged connections to Palestine, he told investigators. He did not name the entity.