(PM) – Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the prime minister of Malaysia, said sanctions can only be applied on countries by the United Nations.
The prime minister argued that sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran violate the UN’s charter and international law.
“Malaysia does not support the re-imposition of the unilateral sanctions by the US against Iran,” he said in a conference in Doha, Qatar.
In 2018, US President Donald J. Trump decided to unilaterally withdraw the US from the Iran nuclear deal and imposed new sanctions to halt Iran’s oil exports and isolate its economy, a move which was meant to force Iran to renegotiate a new deal.
Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran, launched what he described as a $39 billion budget of resistance to counter US sanctions against Tehran following the rise of fuel price which sparked mass protests across the country.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said that Malaysia and other countries have lost a big market because of the sanctions on Iran.
“Such sanctions clearly violate the United Nations Charter and international law. Sanctions can only be applied by the United Nations in accordance with the charter,” the prime minister added.