The US Treasury Department unveiled sanctions Thursday against an individual and three currency exchange houses including one in Turkey involved in financing the growing number of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against international shipping in the Red Sea, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Iran-backed group, which has controlled northern Yemen since 2014, has been attacking vessels in the region with drones and missiles since shortly after the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October, forcing cargo ships to avoid the Suez Canal — one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
In response the United States announced an international coalition to protect ships passing through the Red Sea in a bid to ensure freedom of navigation through the busy waterway.
In a statement the US Treasury said it had sanctioned the head of the Currency Exchangers Association in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, along with two currency exchange houses in Yemen and one in Turkey responsible for “facilitating the flow of Iranian financial assistance” to the Houthis.
“Turkey-based Al Aman Kargo Ithalat Ihracat Ve Nakliyat Limited Sirketi (Al Aman) serves as a waypoint for money sent by the Houthis’ Iranian financiers to the group’s businesses in Yemen,” the statement said.
It added that these people facilitated the transfer of “millions of dollars” to the Houthis at the direction of Sa’id al-Jamal, a group linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF).
Unlike the Houthis, the IRGC has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States.
“Today’s action underscores our resolve to restrict the illicit flow of funds to the Houthis, who continue to conduct dangerous attacks on international shipping and risk further destabilizing the region,” Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.