Malaysia Does Not Acknowledge Sanctions?

Malaysia does not acknowledge sanctions imposed by individual countries, said our Home Minister. This is after a meeting with the US Treasury department’s top sanctions official. Malaysia will only recognise sanctions if they are imposed by the United Nations Security Council. 

The U.S. Undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the sanctions are still in place for four Malaysian companies. The sanctions would see money in US accounts or accounts with a US correspondent blocked or frozen, thereby preventing these companies from accessing funds.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

The US Treasury imposed sanctions on the four Malaysia-based companies in December. It was reported that these companies were providing components for Iran’s weapons programme. Washington recently imposed further sanctions targeting Iran, including over

Iranian drones used by Russia in the war in Ukraine, as the US seeks to increase pressure on Tehran after its attack on Israel.

Reuters previously reported that there had been an uptick in money moving to Iran and its proxies, including Hamas, through the Malaysian financial system.

Who exactly are we? The second largest economy in the world? Our GDP is only 1.5% of the GDP of the U.S. And we pretend to behave as if we have clout. Please, we can’t go to war with the U.S. and destroy our economy.

References:

We don’t recognise by individual nations, says home minister, Ameera Huda, FreeMalaysiaToday, 9 May 2024

Sanctions on Malaysia-based companies impactful, says to US Treasury official, Sean Augustin, FreeMalaysiaToday, 9 May 2024,