Malaysia’s ships allowed to pass Strait of Hormuz, PM Anwar says

Malaysian leader says oil tankers granted clearance by Iran as government introduces measures to conserve fuel.Iran has allowed Malaysian ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Malaysia’s leader said, amid the global energy crunch driven by the United States and Israel’s war with Tehran.In a televised address on Thursday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed thanks to Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian for granting Malaysian vessels “early clearance” through the waterway, which has been effectively closed by Tehran.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Albanese says Australia playing “constructive” role in the war on Iranlist 2 of 4Australia’s post-Bondi crackdown accused of targeting pro-Palestinian voiceslist 3 of 4Mexico launches search for two missing aid boats bound for Cubalist 4 of 4Endangered monarch butterfly population surges 64 percentend of list“We are in the process of securing the release of the Malaysian oil tankers and the workers involved so they can continue their journey home,” Anwar said.Anwar did not elaborate on how many vessels had cleared the strait, which normally facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, or under what conditions the vessels were cleared for safe passage.The Malaysian government, which has traditionally pursued a policy of non-alignment in international affairs, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Anwar said that while Malaysia had been affected by the disruption to energy supplies, the Southeast Asian country was in a “much better position” than other nations due to the capacity of the state-run oil and gas company Petronas.As one of the world’s top suppliers of LNG, Malaysia is a net energy exporter, but the country imports nearly 70 percent of its crude oil from the Gulf region.Anwar said his government would take a series of measures to conserve fuel, including reducing the individual monthly quota for subsidised petrol and “gradually and selectively” moving civil servants onto work-from-home arrangements.