The U.S. Sanctions Several Individuals and Companies for 'Assisting Houthis, Hezbollah, and the IRGC'

On Monday, June 11, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned four individuals, including two captains, two ships, and four companies in various countries for allegedly assisting the Houthis, the Quds Force of the IRGC, and Hezbollah in the illegal trade and transport of oil and other goods. Brian Nelson, the U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, emphasized the U.S. government's commitment to 'disrupting and degrading the Houthis' ability to carry out attacks against commercial shipping and military vessels, as well as targeting those who facilitate these activities,' referring to 'last week's military strikes' by U.S. forces against the Houthis. The sanctioned entities, ships, and individuals are located in the UAE, India, Oman, Yemen, and China. The U.S. State Department also issued a statement regarding similar actions against them, adding that among the crimes of those sanctioned is 'document forgery' related to transportation. One of the sanctioned individuals is Sandeep Singh Choudhary, the captain of the ship 'La Pearl.' OFAC states that he has supported the Iranian company 'Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars' through his activities. The U.S. had previously sanctioned this company. The U.S. Treasury Department's statement mentions that they participated in the illegal transport of oil, including on behalf of Said Al-Jamal, a financial facilitator for the Houthis. The United States had previously stated that it had sanctioned Said Al-Jamal, who is supported by the IRGC. Both the IRGC and the Houthis are on the terrorist list and have been sanctioned. This is the seventh round of U.S. sanctions against Said Al-Jamal's network since October 2023. According to information from the 'Counter Extremism' website, Said Al-Jamal is a Yemeni citizen born on January 1, 1979. The U.S. claims that Said Al-Jamal's network is based in Iran. Additionally, see: The U.S. imposed new sanctions against the financial network linked to the IRGC. On April 7, OFAC also sanctioned six entities, one individual, and two oil tankers in connection with the Houthis, calling it 'another step to disrupt the IRGC's financial operations and its support for proxy terrorist groups like the Houthis.' The Biden administration, following multiple Houthi attacks on various ships, has once again placed them on a terrorist list. Also see: The U.S. government changes its position; the U.S. reclassifies the Houthis as 'global terrorists.' The Houthis continue their sabotage in international waters, attacking two cargo ships belonging to Switzerland and Germany. The British security company Ambrey reported that a cargo ship was hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen. The Houthis claimed to have attacked two ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis detained at least 15 Yemeni citizens working for international organizations.