Malaysia Says No Evidence of Iranian Oil Transfer in Its Waters

The Prime Minister of Malaysia, who is visiting Qatar, stated on Tuesday that there is no evidence of Iranian sanctioned oil being transferred from ship to ship in Malaysian waters. This comes as the United States expresses concern over Iran's use of Malaysian service providers for its oil transfers. According to Reuters, Anwar Ibrahim made this statement during an economic forum in Qatar, emphasizing that Malaysia lacks the capability to monitor oil transfers from ship to ship in international waters. He also highlighted that Malaysia, with its Muslim majority, has always supported the Palestinians and advocates for a two-state solution to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict. During his visit to Qatar, Anwar Ibrahim met with Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas. He stated that while he has good relations with Hamas's political branch, he has no involvement in the military operations of the group. The Malaysian Prime Minister clarified, 'I have no involvement or discussions with Hamas's military apparatus.' A senior U.S. Treasury official had announced last week that Iran's capacity to transfer oil to service providers in Malaysia is dependent on its operations, and efforts are underway to prevent Malaysia from becoming a hub for collecting and transferring funds by the Palestinian group Hamas. This U.S. official stated that the Islamic Republic relies on service providers based in Malaysia to transfer its oil, which is then distributed throughout the region after being transferred near Singapore. He added, 'We are concerned about Hamas's capacity to raise funds in the region, including in Malaysia, so we want to discuss these concerns.' This U.S. official described the increasing efforts of the Islamic Republic and its affiliated groups to raise money in the region, sometimes through charitable organizations, as 'concerning.' He remarked, without mentioning any specific charity, 'It is horrifying that they want to misuse the funds raised to help Palestinians for violent and destabilizing activities.' The U.S. has also warned about the 'environmental risks' of illegal Iranian oil transfers to Malaysia.