US Sanctions Houthi Financing Network Run By Iran Guards
The United States Wednesday sanctioned an international network run by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and a Houthi financier providing tens of millions of dollars to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The United States Wednesday sanctioned an international network run by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and a Houthi financier providing tens of millions of dollars to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The complex web of individuals and front companies shipped fuel, other petroleum products and commodities throughout the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with the proceeds financing Houthi attacks in Yemen and on its neighbors, a Treasury statement said.
The action freezes any assets of the designated entities and individuals that are subject to US jurisdiction and generally bars Americans from doing business with them.
The US closely coordinated the designations with its Gulf partners, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. He urged the Houthis to "end their campaign of violence" and renew peace talks.
The new designations come as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and some American lawmakers press the White House to return the Houthi movement to the US list of foreign terrorist groups in response to recent Houthi drone and missile strikes on the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Republican former President Donald Trump placed the Houthis on the list 10 days before leaving office, triggering financial sanctions. Democratic President Joe Biden reversed the move, a year ago.
The individuals and firms targeted on Wednesday are part of a network overseen by the Qods Force, the elite arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Said al Jamal, a Houthi financier sanctioned last year, the Treasury said.
