KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 — Companies from Iran pulled out at the last minute from participating in this year’s Defence Services Asia (DSA) and National Security (Natsec) Asia 2026 exhibition, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said today.

He said the withdrawal came despite earlier indications that Iranian firms were prepared to take part in the biennial defence showcase.

“We can see that Iran is not able to participate, even though at the beginning, before the war, they said they were ready. But this time, companies from Iran have withdrawn,” he said during a press conference after a walkabout at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) here.

Khaled attributed the pullout 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 are facing various challenges. If they want to travel, if they want to send their products, surely there will be some difficulties.

“There is nothing political, but the problems they are facing and the situation there will create difficulties for them in terms of logistics and related matters,” he added.

Khaled noted that a number of other countries are still participating in this year’s exhibition, including Turkiye, China, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, the United States, India and South Korea.