PETALING JAYA, Sept 30 — United States president Donald Trump’s inconsistencies in international relations and his rejection of globalism will cost Malaysia economically as a small nation, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has cautioned.

In addition, the prime minister admitted Malaysia’s trade relations with Iran will be reduced and possibly stopped entirely due to sanctions from the US.

“It creates a lot of uncertainties as we do not know what can be done and cannot be done or what kind of policies will be followed by powerful countries.

“This will affect Malaysia in terms of our position and our wealth because Malaysia depends on trade for its wealth,” Dr Mahathir said in an interview with Istanbul-based TRT World at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Trump pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement shortly after taking office in January last year and has recently threatened to pull out of the World Trade Organisation after Trump claimed it treated US unfairly.

“15 years ago, the world was relatively stable and there was no American president who performed like Trump. They seemed to be much more accommodating.

“We now have a president of the United States bringing about policies that is not typical of the US,” Dr Mahathir said.

In a Council on Foreign Relations in New York event last week, Dr Mahathir had already criticised Trump, telling the US president that “one has to learn to live with China” amid an ongoing trade war between the two countries.

Trump has also recently threatened the United Nations Security Council that any nations trading with Iran will “suffer consequences” and have re-imposed sanction against the Middle Eastern nation.

“We will of course suffer but we will trade with our other trading partners to cushion it.

“We have no choice and if you do not obey them, they will take action on your banks and currencies,” he said when asked if Malaysia would conform to US pressure.

However, Dr Mahathir also delivered a message to Trump, saying he hoped the US would prosper because a prosperous US would serve as a good market for Malaysia.