Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad says US sanctions imposed on Iran violate the United Nations Charter and international law.

Malaysia has lost ''a big market'' as a result of the bans on the Islamic Republic, Mahathir added in his remarks at the Doha Forum in Qatar on Saturday.

''Malaysia does not support the re-imposition of the unilateral sanctions by the US against Iran,'' he noted. ''Such sanctions clearly violate the United Nations Charter and international law; sanctions can only be applied by the United Nations in accordance with the charter."

The event, whose main theme is “The Role of Development in Achieving National Security,” focuses on a range of issues, including the displacement of Muslims worldwide, food security, national/cultural identity, and Islamophobia, technology, trade, internet governance, and security.

At the forum, Mahathir invited Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to attend Kuala Lumpur Summit which is set to take place from Dec.19 to Dec. 21.

Malaysia has maintained good diplomatic relations with Iran despite sanctions Washington imposed against Tehran.

The US under President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018 in defiance of global objections and unleashed a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, under which it has imposed the “toughest ever” sanctions targeting the Iranian economy in order to force Tehran into submitting to its excessive demands.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced that it was targeting Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) or E-Sail, and the country’s major airline, Mahan Air.

The US Treasury Department stressed that Washington's newly announced sanctions targeting Iran's air and maritime transport industries will lead to the restriction of trade related to humanitarian goods.

The announcement came despite Washington's earlier claims that its sanctions did not affect Iran's access to humanitarian goods.