Houthis' Use of Fuel Shipment from Iran to Finance War

United Nations experts say that fuel shipments illegally sent to the Houthi rebels in Yemen are being used by this group to finance their war against the Yemeni government, which could constitute a violation of international laws by both Iran and the Houthis. An 85-page report submitted to the Security Council by the Yemen sanctions monitoring group, a copy of which was seen by the Associated Press, states that fuel shipments are loaded at Iranian ports and sent to the Houthis, with 'the revenue from the sale of these shipments being used to finance the Houthis in the war.' According to this report, these shipments loaded at Iranian ports are registered with false documents to evade United Nations inspections. The report notes that UN experts have identified a few companies inside or outside Yemen that act as front companies to cover the shipment of fuel to one of the individuals sanctioned by the UN, although the name of this individual is not mentioned. This is not the first time that experts monitoring Yemen sanctions have reported the potential violation of sanctions and international regulations concerning the Houthis by Iran. Although Iran has repeatedly denied allegations of providing military support to the Houthis, last year's UN experts' report indicated that Iran violated the arms export ban to Yemen by supplying missiles and drones directly or indirectly to the Houthis. According to the Associated Press, the UN sanctions observers' report portrays 'a grim picture of a deeply failed country' heading towards 'humanitarian and economic catastrophe,' with no prospect of victory for any of the parties involved in the conflict, which is viewed as a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The report recalls that the Yemeni government and its coalition led by Saudi Arabia achieved 'significant progress' against the Houthis in 2018, but the goal of restoring government control across Yemen is 'far from reality.' UN experts also state that the Houthi leadership continues to consolidate its control over both governmental and non-governmental institutions in Yemen. Iran has not yet reacted to this report, and there has been no report of a potential response from the Houthis regarding this matter. The Houthis captured Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, in 2014, and the battle between them and the regional coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which supports the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, is ongoing. Recently, both sides held direct talks in Sweden under UN supervision, resulting in a ceasefire in Hodeidah under UN oversight and an agreement to release thousands of prisoners on both sides of the conflict.