Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Tuesday the designation of new individuals and entities linked to the Houthi group for sanctions. This action is part of continued pressure on the financing and logistical support networks of the group, which is classified as a terrorist organization.
The decision, issued pursuant to Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886, targeted seven key objectives. These include two Yemeni individuals and five commercial entities, some of which operate outside Yemen.
The designated individuals include:
- Yahya Mohammed Mohammed Al-Wazir, a Yemeni national born in 1981, who previously used two Yemeni passports, one expired in 2017 and the other in 2011.
- Mohammed Mohammed Abdullah Al-Sunaidar, a Yemeni national born in 1987, who holds a passport issued by St. Kitts and Nevis in addition to an expired Yemeni passport.
The United States also imposed sanctions on Houthi-linked entities, including:
- Al-Saeeda Trading and Agencies Company, based in Sana’a, operating in wholesale and retail trade, established between 2021 and 2023.
- Amran Cement Factory, established in 1982, located in Amran Governorate.
- Arkan Mars Petroleum Company, with three entities: one in Sana’a, Yemen (established March 2019), and two in the UAE (one in Dubai and another with locations in Dubai and Ajman), established in 2019 and 2020 respectively, operating in petroleum derivatives and energy services.
The Treasury Department affirmed that this step is part of ongoing efforts to “disrupt the financial networks supporting Ansar Allah (the Houthis) and dry up sources of terrorist financing.”
These new sanctions come days after the US announced the designation of Houthi businessmen Ali Ahmed Daghsan and his brother, Daghsan Ahmed, for their role in facilitating oil smuggling to finance the armed group.
Washington also recently sanctioned Houthi leader Zaid Al-Washli, as part of an escalating campaign targeting Houthi leaders and financiers. This aligns with a US policy aimed at pressuring the group and cutting off its funding sources, particularly through smuggling networks and the exploitation of front companies.
It is worth noting that the Houthi group was re-designated by the US administration in early 2024 as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” (SDGT) group, which allows for an expanded scope of financial sanctions and legal restrictions against any entity that provides it with financial or logistical support.
