Relationship dossier
Iran
Malaysia
Relationship assessment
Bilateral cooperation alongside occasional policy divergence
Iran toward Malaysia
+25Iran pursued closer bilateral ties with Malaysia, including through agreements signed during President Hassan Rouhani’s 2016 visit. The scope and implementation of those agreements are unclear.
Malaysia toward Iran
+25Malaysia pursued bilateral cooperation with Iran, while voting in favor of UN Security Council sanctions on Iran in 2010. The vote reflected a significant policy divergence amid broader diplomatic engagement.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship combines bilateral economic and diplomatic engagement with a notable divergence over UN sanctions. Cooperation has been pursued through agreements and high-level engagement, but the extent and durability of practical implementation are uncertain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Iran and Malaysia have pursued bilateral economic and diplomatic cooperation, including agreements signed during Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s 2016 visit to Malaysia. Their relationship has also been affected by Malaysia’s 2010 vote in favor of UN sanctions on Iran. These examples indicate cooperation alongside occasional policy divergence, while the breadth and implementation of bilateral arrangements are unclear.
Areas of tension
- Malaysia’s 2010 vote in favor of UN Security Council sanctions on Iran
Key developments
Malaysia voted in favor of UN Security Council Resolution 1929, imposing sanctions on Iran.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Malaysia, and the two governments signed bilateral agreements.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of agreements signed during Rouhani’s 2016 visit are unclear.
- The extent of ongoing economic cooperation under international sanctions is uncertain.