Treasury Increases Pressure on Houthi Smuggling and Illicit Revenue Generation Networks

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating 21 individuals and entities and identifying one vessel that have transferred oil products, procured weapons and dual-use equipment, and provided financial services for Iran-backed terrorist organization Ansarallah, commonly known as the Houthis. This action targets financial conduits between the Iranian government and the Houthis, building on previous Treasury actions to constrict the Iranian regime’s use of its oil wealth to fund regional terrorist proxies at the expense of the Iranian population’s welfare. It also targets key front companies, facilitators, and operatives located in Yemen, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that are part of the Houthis’ vast revenue generation and smuggling networks, which enable the group to sustain its capability to conduct destabilizing regional activities and unprovoked attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.“The Houthis threaten the United States by committing acts of terror and attacking commercial vessels