On April 2, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against a network of individuals and entities used by the Houthis in Yemen to purchase weapons and military technology.
Points of attention
- The US Treasury Department has sanctioned a criminal network assisting the Yemeni Houthis in purchasing weapons and military technology.
- Businessmen from Afghanistan and a company from Hong Kong were involved in procuring Ukrainian grain and other goods for the Houthis.
- The Houthis continue to rely on this network for critical goods to fuel their terrorist activities in the region.
US imposes sanctions on partners of Yemeni Houthis
The network, which the US has sanctioned, helped the Houthis purchase "tens of millions of dollars worth of goods, including weapons and secret technologies, as well as stolen Ukrainian grain, from Russia."
Two businessmen from Afghanistan and a company from Hong Kong whose Russian ship was carrying stolen Ukrainian grain were sanctioned, as well as the ship's current and former captains, both Russian citizens.
Additionally, an Iranian businessman currently living in Turkey was sanctioned - he collaborates with Said al-Jamal, the person responsible for financing the Houthis, who is already under US restrictions.
The Houthis continue to rely on Saeed al-Jamal and his network to procure critical goods to support the group's terrorist war machine, commented US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant.
The sanctions list includes:
Yuriy Belyakov;
Vyacheslav Vidanov;
Sohrab Gayrat;
Ushang Gayrat;
Edison LLC;
Kolibri Group LLC;
Sky Frame LLC;
AM Asia M6 Ltd (Hong Kong);
Russian-flagged bulk carrier AM Theseus
The sanctions were imposed on individuals associated with Iranian financier and head of a network of shell companies and vessels, Saeed al-Jamal. In particular, Belyakov and Vidanov are the captains of the Theseus vessel, also known as Zafar, which supplied Ukrainian grain from occupied Crimea.
The others are Afghan natives Ushang and Sohrab Gayrat, who have Russian citizenship. They are the founders of Sky Frame and Kolibri Group.
The sanctions list also includes Kateryna Rotenberg, the wife of Russian billionaire Boris Rotenberg, who was added to the list in March 2022. However, the US Treasury Department did not explain this decision.
