A statement published on the U.S. Department of the Treasury's website on Thursday revealed that "the United States has imposed anti-terrorism sanctions targeting four Yemeni individuals.” The UK also announced that it had “added four new listings under its sanctions regime for Yemen.” The statement indicated that the four men are involved in actions that "threaten peace, security, and stability in Yemen."
The sanctions target the Minister of Defense in the Houthi government, Mohammed Nasser Al-Atefi, the commander of the Houthi naval forces, Mohammed Fadl Abdul Nabi, the commander of coastal defense forces, Mohammed Ali Al-Qadri, and Mohammed Ahmed Al-Talabi, who both governments described as the procurement director for the Houthis.
Brian Nelson, the U.S. Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated, “The ongoing terrorist attacks conducted by the Houthis on commercial ships and their civilian crews... threaten global supply chains and freedom of navigation, endangering security, stability, and prosperity worldwide." He added, "Today's joint action with the UK shows that we are working collectively to leverage all authorities to stop these attacks."
The U.S. measure freezes any assets held by the targeted individuals in the United States and generally prohibits Americans from engaging in transactions with them.
U.S. and British forces conducted a new round of strikes in Yemen on Monday, targeting an underground storage site used by the Houthis, as well as missile capabilities and other surveillance equipment the group allied with Iran utilizes against shipping activities in the Red Sea.
The Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping and raised concerns about potential inflation worldwide. There are also heightened fears that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas could lead to regional instability in the Middle East.
