US imposes new sanctions targeting Houthi financial network

The United States announced today, Thursday, the issuance of “counter-terrorism” sanctions related to Yemen against individuals and entities associated with the financial mediator of the Ansar Allah group (Houthis), Saeed al-Jamal.

"The measures include approximately 12 individuals and vessels, including Malaysian-Singaporean national residing in Indonesia, Muhammad Raslan bin Ahmad, and Chinese national Zhuang Liang residing in China, who facilitated the illicit shipments and engaged in money laundering for the network," the ministry said in a statement.

On June 18, the US administration announced sanctions on a network of individuals and entities that “facilitated the purchase of weapons” for the Houthi group in Yemen, which targets civilian ships in the Red Sea.

“We will continue to work with our partners around the world to hold Houthi terrorists accountable for their actions, and we will continue to target this network to degrade the Houthis’ ability to replenish their munitions,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

Kirby also criticized the Houthis' justification for the attacks that began in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after Israel launched its war on Hamas in Gaza following Operation Protective Edge on October 7, 2023, saying that the Houthis "don't care about the Palestinians in Gaza. It's terrorism, as I said very clearly, and it has to stop now."

Since November 19, the Houthis have been carrying out attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea that they say are linked to Israel or bound for its ports.

Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping through the Suez Canal, forcing companies to reroute to longer, more expensive journeys around southern Africa.

In return, the United States and Britain are launching strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in a military operation carried out by the US military in the Red Sea region in the context of ongoing tensions in the region, where Washington believes that the Houthi forces allied with Iran are seeking to destabilize and threaten maritime traffic.

The Red Sea is considered one of the most important routes in the world for the passage of oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, as well as for the transport of consumer goods. About 40 percent of global trade passes through the region, and experts estimate that about 30 percent of global container trade passes through the Suez Canal.