KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia is not a service provider in moving sanctioned Iranian oil, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim amid allegations against Putrajaya.
He added that there was “not one shred of evidence” on the alleged ship-to-ship transfers, as Malaysia does not have the capacity to monitor such activities in international waters, reported Reuters.
Anwar was asked this during an economic forum in Qatar.
Last week, a senior official at the US Treasury Department claimed that Iran was reliant on service providers based in Malaysia to move its oil near Singapore and throughout the region.
Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence Brian Nelson said the US was trying to prevent Malaysia from being used by Hamas to fundraise and move money.
During today’s forum, Anwar also said Malaysia had no involvement with Hamas’ military operations, although he has good relations with its political wing.
“I have no involvement or discussion with the military apparatus (of Hamas),” he was quoted as saying.
Malaysia has been a vocal supporter of Palestine.
Anwar met senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh earlier and expressed his condolences over the death of Ismail’s sons due to Israel’s siege on Gaza. – May 14, 2024