KUALA LUMPUR: Iran has confirmed its withdrawal from the Defence Services Asia (DSA) and National Security (Natsec) Asia 2026 exhibition, scheduled to begin on Monday (April 20).
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the decision is believed to stem from the current conflict in the Middle East, including issues related to the Strait of Hormuz.
“Companies from Iran have withdrawn, even though before the war, they said they were ready,” he said at a press conference after a walkabout at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) here on Sunday (April 19).
Khaled said the withdrawal is due to logistical and operational challenges arising from the current situation in the country rather than political reasons.
“I think we should understand and accept that they (Iran) are facing various challenges. Even if they want to travel or to send their products, surely there will be some difficulties.
“There is nothing political (about the decision). The problems they are facing and the situation there created difficulties in terms of logistics and related matters,” he said.
He added that several other countries are still taking part in this year’s exhibition, including Turkiye, China, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, the United States, India and South Korea.
“Among the largest participating contingents are Turkiye, China, the UAE, Italy, the US, India and South Korea. China also leads in pavilion size with 192 companies, followed by Turkiye with 87 and the US with 83,” he said.
New pavilions this year include Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Japan and Russia, with 368 Malaysian companies also taking part in the exhibition.
