US delegation in Malaysia to discuss sanction-evading Iranian oil shipped by ‘dark fleet’

Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson and Treasury General Counsel Neil MacBride will be in Kuala Lumpur this week where they will hold “candid and frank discussions” with Malaysian officials, US Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard Kagan said.

The US delegation will emphasise the importance of “a unified global response to critical threats” in their meetings with Malaysian and later, Singaporean governments, Kagan said.

“We are confident the Malaysian government understands the US position with regards to transhipment of oil that has been sanctioned… and understands the potential impact that could have,” Kagan told reporters on the sidelines of the Defence Services Asia 2024 expo in Kuala Lumpur.

“I would say we are approaching this very much in the spirit of partnership, with the sense that we do share common threats and challenges.”

Iran and dozens of other nations are taking part in the expo to display their defence capabilities. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made a quick stop at the Iranian pavilion during a tour of the expo on Monday.

On Friday, the US Department of the Treasury said it was sending the representatives as part of their work in countering terrorist financing and revenue generation by Iran and its proxies — as well as to discuss the implementation of sanctions and export controls against Russia.

“Since the beginning of this year, Treasury has taken several significant actions to combat and disrupt the illicit shipment of Iranian oil to buyers in East Asia, including shipments via ship-to-ship transfers in international waters near Singapore and Malaysia,” the statement said.

In Malaysia, Nelson and MacBride will discuss Washington’s efforts to disrupt terrorist