By GMM News | 2024-10-07 | International Shipping News |

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has taken its latest action against Houthi-linked weapons procurement and vessels involved in illicit oil shipments supporting Houthi and Iranian activities.

The sanctions target one individual and three companies in Iran and China that have been instrumental in supplying the Houthis with materials for advanced missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

This move is part of broader sanctions targeting weapons procurement and smuggling operations that have enabled the Houthis to carry out attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The sanctioned entities include several Chinese companies and an Iranian operative. Shenzhen Boyu Imports and Exports Co., Limited, a Chinese logistics firm, was designated for facilitating the shipment of dual-use components to Houthi militants. Two other Chinese companies—Shenzhen Jinghon Electronics Limited and Shenzhen Rion Technology Co., Ltd.—were targeted for supplying critical components used in Houthi missile and UAV production. Additionally, Hasan Ahmad Hasan Muhammad al-Kuhlani, an Iran-based operative, was sanctioned for coordinating Houthi weapons smuggling efforts.

OFAC has also sanctioned Gemini Marine Limited and identified two of its vessels, IZUMO and FRUNZE, involved in illicit oil shipments supporting Houthi and Iranian activities. The IZUMO has been transporting petroleum products for Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars Company, a front company for the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff. It has also carried shipments for the network of Sa’id al-Jamal, a sanctioned Houthi financial official.

“The Houthis continue to leverage their networks of companies and procurement operatives to sustain their reckless attacks on civilian vessels, their unarmed crews, and civilian populations,” said Bradley T. Smith, Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

The sanctions are being implemented under Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorist organizations and their supporters. This latest action builds on multiple previous OFAC measures against Houthi weapons procurement operatives and suppliers in various countries.