Washington announced on Thursday that it has imposed sanctions on members of a network that assists Iranian Revolutionary Guard militias and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. A statement from the US Departments of State and Treasury indicated that the network raises tens of millions of dollars for the Houthis from the sale of various goods, including Iranian oil.
The statement specified that the sanctions include Said Ahmed Mohammed Al-Jamal, whose network of companies sells goods including Iranian oil throughout the Middle East, directing a significant portion of the revenues to the Houthis in Yemen.
The State Department added that the sanctions also cover individuals and other entities playing a key role in the illicit financing network, including Hani Abdul Majid Mohammed Assad, a Yemeni accountant who facilitated financial transfers to the Houthis, and Ali Mohammed Al-Majzoub, who is affiliated with both the Houthis and the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and assisted Al-Jamal in purchasing vessels, facilitating fuel shipments, and transferring funds for the Houthis.
Additionally, the US State Department stated that the United States is working to help resolve the conflict in Yemen and provide lasting humanitarian relief to the Yemeni people, deeming the ongoing Houthi attacks on Marib as directly counterproductive to its goals and a threat to the already deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen.
The statement continued that "the time has come for the Houthis to accept a ceasefire and for all parties to resume political talks," adding that the United States will continue to exert pressure on the Houthis, including through targeted sanctions.
The State Department also revealed that the Treasury Department lifted sanctions on three former Iranian government officials and two companies that had previously been involved in the purchase, possession, sale, transfer, or marketing of Iranian petrochemical products due to verified changes in the situation or behavior of the sanctioned parties.
The department stated that "this step demonstrates Washington's commitment to lifting sanctions in the event of a change in the situation or behavior by the sanctioned individuals."
