The United States (US) has imposed sanctions on 13 individuals and entities accused of providing financial support to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
In a statement, on Thursday, December 7, the US Department of the Treasury said the sanctions targeted individuals and organizations believed to have supplied “tens of millions of dollars’ worth of foreign currency” to the Houthis.
These funds were allegedly obtained from the sale and transportation of Iranian goods, backed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Treasury’s announcement highlighted a network of exchange houses and companies across various jurisdictions allegedly serving as vital channels for Iranian funds to reach Yemen’s militant partners.
The department said, Sa’id al-Jamal, a sanctioned financial facilitator, directs funds to Houthis through exchange firms, along with money lenders in Lebanon and Dubai.
The sanctions freeze all their property and interests and generally prohibiting American transactions with them.
“The Houthis continue to receive funding and support from Iran, and the result is unsurprising: unprovoked attacks on civilian infrastructure and commercial shipping, disrupting maritime security and threatening international commercial trade,” Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.
He also added, “The Treasury Department will continue to disrupt the financial facilitation and procurement networks that enable these destabilizing activities.”
Since October 7, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have intensified attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea in response to Israeli military offensive in Gaza aimed at eliminating Hamas fighters.
