Washington sanctions Houthi-linked network of oil companies

The US government has sanctioned 32 individuals and entities as well as four vessels for their illicit fundraising, smuggling, and weapons procurement operations in Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen.

IMAGE: Getty Images

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on a network of Houthi-affiliated businesses importing Iranian oil products into Yemen, it said.

These companies – Sam Oil, Oil Primer Company, Al Faqih International Trade, Import, and Oil Services, and two more – have “materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the Houthis,” OFAC claimed.

“The Houthis also maintain networks of front companies and illicit shipping facilitators outside of Yemen to manage their maritime operations and evade international scrutiny,” the treasury department said.

OFAC has sanctioned Barbados-flagged STAR MM, Antigua and Barbuda-flagged NOBEL M, and two more oil tankers for discharging oil for Arkan Mars Petroleum at the Houthi-controlled port Ras Isa in late May 2025.

Arkan Mars has an agreement with the Houthis to import gas and oil, including sanctioned Iranian petroleum products, through the Hudaydah and Ras Isa ports in Yemen, OFAC previously said.

“The Houthis leverage a global network of shipping and logistics companies to transport military-grade components from commercial suppliers to their terrorist forces in Yemen,” OFAC further claimed.

The move reinforces the Donald Trump-led US administration’s commitment to tightening sanctions on Iran and its regional proxies.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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