The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced new sanctions against one individual and three entities for helping the flow of Iranian financial assistance to Houthi forces in Yemen.
The U.S. has previously blamed Iran for helping the Houthis carry out attacks against merchant shipping the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, a strategic maritime chokepoint leading to the Suez Canal.
“Today’s action underscores our resolve to restrict the illicit flow of funds to the Houthis, who continue to conduct dangerous attacks on international shipping and risk further destabilizing the region,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The United States, along with our allies and partners, will continue to target the key facilitation networks that enable the destabilizing activities of the Houthis and their backers in Iran.”
Among those designated are the head of the Currency Exchangers Association in Sana’a and three exchange houses in Yemen and Turkey. The Treasury Department said the individuals and entities have played a role in transferring millions of dollars to the Houthis under the direction of Sa’id al-Jamal, an affiliate of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Houthis’ ongoing attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden have severely disrupted the free flow of maritime commerce in the region in violation of international law. Since October, the Houthis have launched numerous missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at commercial vessels near Yemen’s coastline, forcing shipping lines to reroute hundreds of ships around the Cape of Good Hope.
Sa’id al-Jamal was previously sanctioned on June 10, 2021, for his material support to the IRGC’s Qods Force, which itself was designated on October 25, 2007, for providing support to multiple terrorist groups.
