Malaysia Hails Iran as Major Trade Partner 

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Iran is a crucial trading partner for the Southeast Asian country. 
“We’re very glad that bilateral trade relations have dramatically grown over the past two years,” Yaakob said in a Tuesday phone conversation with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, President.ir reported. 
The top official expressed gratitude for Raisi’s call on Malaysia’s Independence Day and said he saw Kuala Lumpur-Tehran ties as “a source of pride.” 
He said the Islamic Republic of Iran “as an important and influential country” had always been supportive of the Muslim community. 
The prime minister condemned unjust sanctions imposed against Tehran and noted, “The current political will can help pave the way for expansion of relations between Iran and Malaysia.”
Raisi pointed out that Malaysia is one of Iran’s highest foreign policy priorities and that the two nations can tap into unrealized potential for development of relations. 
Trade agreements, new technologies, science and research are a few of the areas that can be explored for further cooperation, according to the president. 
One of Raisi’s key foreign policy approaches in the past year has been making efforts to cement relations with friendly nations.