WASHINGTON – The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on a group of money exchange services from Yemen and Turkey that it allegedly helped provide funding to Iran-backed Houthi rebels who have launched attacks on commercial shipping in the southern Red Sea.
Included in the sanctions are the head of a financial intermediary in Sana’a, Yemen, along with three exchange houses in Yemen and Turkey. The US Treasury alleges that individuals and firms helped transfer millions of dollars to the Houthis at the behest of authorized Iranian financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal.
Sanctions block access to US property and bank accounts and prevent targeted people and companies from doing business with Americans.
Thursday’s action is the latest round of financial penalties aimed at punishing the Houthis.
Earlier this month, the US announced sanctions against 13 people and firms accused of providing tens of millions of dollars from the sale and shipment of Iranian commodities to the Houthis in Yemen.
The US has imposed sanctions on a group of money exchange services from Yemen and Turkey that it says helps provide financing to Iran-backed Houthi rebels. via REUTERS
Brian E. Nelson, the Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Thursday’s action “increases our determination to stem the flow of illicit funds to the Houthis, who continue to carry out dangerous attacks on international shipping and risk destabilizing the region.”
Nelsons said the US and its allies “will continue to target a network of key facilities that enable the destabilizing activities of the Houthis and their supporters in Iran.”
The Houthis have targeted ships in the region sporadically in the past, but attacks have increased since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, escalating after an October 17 explosion at a hospital in Gaza killed and wounded many. Houthi leaders have insisted Israel is their target.
In December, the White House also announced that it was encouraging its allies to join the Combined Maritime Forces, a 39-member partnership that exists to counter malign actions by non-state actors in international waters, as it looks to push back the Houthis. .
Attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels have spooked some of the world’s leading shipping companies and oil giants, effectively diverting global trade from a vital channel for consumer goods and energy supplies that is expected to trigger delays and escalations. price.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
