BANKS are closing the accounts of Iranian individuals and companies due to strong pressure from powerful unnamed sources, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

However, despite this, he maintained that Putrajaya’s ties with Tehran were still good.

Dr Mahathir said Malaysian banks overseas were threatened with closure if Malaysia did not comply.

“We are forced to close the bank accounts. If we don’t, they will close our banks.

“It’s a kind of bullying by the very powerful,” he told reporters today after attending an education ministry programme, today

Today, Reuters reported that banks in Malaysia were closing the accounts of Iranians and companies, believed to be linked to sanctions imposed by Washington.

Malaysia maintains good diplomatic ties with Tehran, and last week leaders from both countries discussed ways to further strengthen and improve ties.

The US has imposed economic sanctions on Iran after claiming that Tehran intended to breach the nuclear agreement the two countries inked in 2015.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was drafted to limit Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for easing economic sanctions against the country.

“We have good ties with Tehran but are under pressure from certain quarters. You can guess who.

“The idea to close the accounts is to make it difficult for them (the Iranians). We are not assisting but are forced to do this,” he said. – October 30, 2019.