The U.S. Sanctions an Individual and Three Entities Facilitating Financial Aid from the Islamic Republic to the Houthis

On Thursday, December 28, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned an individual and three entities responsible for facilitating the transfer of financial aid from the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Houthis. According to the Treasury Department's statement, the sanctioned individuals acted under the orders of Saeed al-Jamal, an associate of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, transferring millions of dollars to the Houthis affiliated with the Islamic Republic. Brian Nelson, the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated that Thursday's sanctions demonstrate the United States' determination to "restrict the illegal transfer of funds to the Houthis," who, according to him, "continue to carry out dangerous attacks against international shipping" and pose a risk of further destabilization in the region. This U.S. official emphasized that the United States and its partners will continue to target the main facilitating networks that enable the "destabilizing activities of the Houthis and their supporters in Iran." Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, also noted that the ongoing attacks by this group against international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden have disrupted free trade in the region and endangered the lives of innocent sailors. He described the Houthi missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels passing near the Yemeni coast as a "flagrant violation of international law" and asserted that "the United States will continue to combat Iran's illegal financial support for the Houthis." Nabil Ali Ahmed Al-Hudha, the head of the currency exchange association in Houthi-controlled areas in Sanaa, a transportation and export company in Turkey, and two companies based in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen were the individuals and entities sanctioned by the United States on Thursday. On December 7, OFAC had also sanctioned 13 individuals and entities responsible for providing tens of millions of dollars in currency from the sale and shipment of Iranian goods with the support of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the Houthis in Yemen. Since the onset of the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in mid-October, the United States has held the Houthis responsible for a series of attacks in the waters of the Middle East. The Houthis, who control most of Yemen's Red Sea coast, had previously fired ballistic missiles and suicide drones towards Israel and pledged to target more Israeli ships. Given the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and separate attacks by Iranian-backed militants against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, U.S. national security officials are concerned about the risk of sudden and deadly regional escalation. The United States has repeatedly stated that it has conveyed to Iran not to widen the scope of the military conflict between Hamas and Israel. To demonstrate its seriousness regarding this warning, the U.S. has dispatched two aircraft carrier strike groups to the region, one of which, the Eisenhower strike group, has entered the Persian Gulf. The Israeli assault on Gaza began after a terrorist attack by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostage, most of whom were civilians. Following this, Israel besieged the Gaza Strip and launched air and then ground operations aimed at destroying Hamas. The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and several other countries have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. The U.S. and its allies have urged other countries not to encourage the Houthis in their attacks on ships. The U.S. has sanctioned the network supporting the drone program of the Islamic Republic in Iran and several other countries. The U.S. has also sanctioned several individuals linked to the Quds Force and Palestinian militant groups. The United States has sanctioned two officials of the Islamic Republic. The White House states that Iran uses the Houthis in Yemen to carry out missile and drone attacks. The U.S. is strengthening its combined naval forces to counter the actions of the Houthis in the region.