Iran’s capacity to move its oil is reliant on service providers based in Malaysia, claimed US Treasury Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence Brian Nelson.
The top sanctions official said on Tuesday May 7th also said that the US was seeking to prevent Malaysia from becoming a jurisdiction where Palestinian militant group Hamas could raise funds and move money.
He was speaking during a four-day visit to Singapore and Malaysia. He noted that a US Treasury delegation was expected to discuss the consequences of allowing transshipments of Washington-sanctioned Iranian oil in meetings with government officials in Kuala Lumpur this week.
Western news and research firms have alleged for some time that Malaysia permits Iran to use its waters for ship-to-ship petroleum transfers. US Ambassador Edgard Kagan said on the sidelines of Asia’s largest defence show that the American officials present would engage in “candid” discussions with their Malaysian counterparts.
“We are confident that the Malaysian government understands the US position with regard to transshipment of oil that has been sanctioned, and understands the potential impact that this could have,” Kagan was quoted as saying in response to a question about whether Washington saw Malaysia as a transshipment hub for Iranian oil. He did not elaborate on what he meant by “potential impact”.
“We look forward to candid and frank discussions that are going to be done very much from our standpoint in the spirit of working together to address a common problem,” Kagan said.
