US Imposes New Sanctions on Houthis, Hezbollah and Iranian Shipping Networks

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced additional sanctions on companies and individuals involved in shipping Iranian goods to Yemen and the United Arab Emirates at the direction of Sa’id al-Jamal, a financier based in Iran. The sanctions are aimed at cutting off funding sources for the Yemen-based Houthis and Iran’s IRGC-QF, both designated terrorist organizations. Al-Jamal’s network provides financing for the Houthis’ aggressive attacks on ships in the Red Sea and civilian infrastructure.

OFAC has also updated the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN list) for the ship previously known as ARTHUR, now named NOTE, which was responsible for transporting goods for al-Jamal. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Bradley T. Smith, emphasized the commitment to disrupting Iran’s primary funding sources for terrorist proxies like Hezbollah and the Houthis.

In addition to sanctions on al-Jamal’s network, OFAC has designated Hong Kong-based Kai Heng Long Global Energy Limited for shipping Iranian liquefied natural gas to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Multiple vessels owned by the company have been identified as blocked property. The ongoing efforts by OFAC reflect a strategy to disrupt financial networks supporting regional terrorism, especially in light of the recent surge in attacks by the Houthis on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

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