The United States on Friday issued sanctions targeting commodity shipments financing Iran's Quds Force and Yemen's Houthis as Washington steps up pressure on the Iran-backed Houthis over attacks on international shipping.
The US Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on a Hong Kong-based company and a United Arab Emirates-based company shipping Iranian commodities on behalf of the network of a Quds Force-backed Houthi financial facilitator already under U.S. sanctions. It also targeted four vessels.
The Treasury said the revenue from the commodity sales supports the Houthis and their attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The sanctions come after US and British warplanes, ships and submarines launched dozens of air strikes across Yemen overnight in retaliation against Houthi forces for attacks on Red Sea shipping, widening regional conflict stemming from Israel's war in Gaza.
“The United States continues to take action against the illicit Iranian financial networks that fund the Houthis and facilitate their attacks,” the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said.
“Together with our allies and partners, we will take all available measures to stop the destabilizing activities of the Houthis and their threats to global commerce."
Published 12 January 2024, 17:16 IST