US sanctions vessels linked to Houthi, Hezbollah networks

Washington has sanctioned more individuals, vessels and maritime companies for facilitating the illicit shipment of Iranian commodities.

PHOTO: An oil pump jack and oil barrels with the US flag. Getty Images

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned several entities and companies that have provided financial support to the Iran-aligned Houthi militant groups based in Yemen and Lebanon, through its facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal, a Yemini financier allegedly linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC-QF).

“Sa’id al-Jamal and his network rely on a host of shipping companies, vessels, and facilitators to enable the sale and shipment of Iranian commodities, including oil and petroleum products, to generate revenue for the Houthis and the IRGC-QF,” OFAC argues.

The US department has sanctioned two Palau-flagged LPG tankers, LPG OM and RAHA GAS, for shipping illicit commodities from the UAE to Yemen on behalf of Jamal’s network. The two vessels are owned and operated by Marshall Islands-registered KDS Shipping and Arafat Shipping Company, respectively.

The OFAC has also sanctioned Palau-flagged products tanker DIVINE POWER, owned and operated by Marshall Islands-registered DP Shipping, for shipping "millions of dollars’ worth of fuel oil to the UAE on behalf of al-Jamal’s network," OFAC says.

The DIVINE POWER engaged in a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer with the previously sanctioned vessel MEHLE to facilitate a shipment of fuel, according to the US Department of the Treasury (DOT). The US regulatory body has identified four more shipping companies and seven more vessels, for carrying out similar activities in the war-torn Middle East.

These sanctions have raised more concerns about oil supply disruptions in the Middle East.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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