Tehran: Malaysia and Iran have agreed to explore and strengthen bilateral relations, particularly in trade, investment, education, health, and research, announced Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan. The agreement was reached during the 8th Malaysia-Iran Joint Commission Meeting (JCM), co-chaired by Mohamad and his counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the meeting also enhanced the government-to-government relationship between Kuala Lumpur and Tehran and fostered business-to-business connections between the people of both countries. “In terms of trade and business, we have identified key areas and will coordinate them through a Joint Economic Commission Meeting between the Trade Ministers of both countries, with Wisma Putra serving as the coordinating agency,” Mohamad stated.
Despite Iran being under unilateral sanctions from the United States, Mohamad emphasized the importance of maintaining bilateral relations and exploring cooperation in research, science, technology, health, and tourism, which are not subject to sanctions. He made these remarks after meeting with staff members of the Malaysian Embassy in Iran, concluding his official visit from February 25 to 27.
Mohamad outlined Malaysia’s commitment to trade cooperation, aligning with Wisma Putra’s policy to open new markets through trade diplomacy and reduce reliance on traditional markets. He highlighted Malaysia’s target to increase palm oil exports to Iran, noting Iran’s willingness to import refined palm oil products. Iran suggested that Malaysia could use Iran as a gateway to the Central Asian market, which remains largely untapped.
On education, Mohamad requested the Iranian government to send more students to Malaysia to pursue Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees, further solidifying people-to-people relations. Malaysia previously hosted the 7th JCM in 2008, and in 2024, Iran was Malaysia’s seventh-largest trading partner in the West Asian region, with total trade valued at RM2.6 billion (USD0.57 billion), a 24.6 percent increase from 2023.
Malaysia was Iran’s largest trading partner among ASEAN Member States and its 19th largest globally in 2023. Malaysia established its embassy in Tehran in 1970, while Iran opened its embassy in Kuala Lumpur in 1981.