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U.S. officials who were punished by the U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday say members of the smuggling network are helping to fund the Iranian Revolutionary Islamic Guard Corps and Iran-aligned Houthi fighters in Yemen.
Treasury officials say the network, which is allegedly run by an Iranian-based financier Sa’id al-Jamal, is channeling money from Iranian oil sales through a complex network of multi-country intermediaries and exchange houses to Yemeni Houthis.
“Financial support from this network Enables Houthis’ deplorable attacks threatening civilian and critical infrastructure in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, ”said Andrea Gacki, director of the Office of the Treasury for the Control of Foreign Assets.
“These attacks undermine efforts to end the conflict and tragically kill tens of millions of innocent civilians,” Gacki said.
The war, which erupted in 2014 when Houthi fighters pushed the Saudi-backed government from the capital Sanaa, has become the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world in Yemen. According to the United Nations, more than 20 million people need help, and four million have been displaced. Tens of thousands of people have been killed.
US President Joe Biden he asked for an end Representatives of Yemen between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the US officials were directed to seek diplomatic solutions to the conflict.
“The United States is working to resolve the conflict in Yemen and provide ongoing humanitarian assistance to the people of Yemen,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Friday.
“It’s time for the Houthis to accept the ceasefire and for all parties to resume political dialogue,” Blinken said.
In February, the U.S. announced it would end “all support for offensive operations in the Yemeni war, including major arms sales,” although Biden said it would “help Saudi Arabia defend its sovereignty.”
Last week, a Houthi missile attack 17 dead, including a five-year-old girl, besieged in the Yemeni city of Marib.
The new US sanctions seek to deny al-Jamal and major business partners in Turkey, Greece and the Basque Country access to the global financial system, the US Treasury reported on its website.
At the same time, officials from the Biden administration lifted sanctions on three Iranian government officials and two companies that had previously marketed Iranian oil products.
Oil prices fell sharply on Thursday, but a U.S. official told Reuters news agency that the removal of sanctions was “common” and a State Department spokesman said the move had nothing to do with multi-party talks aimed at restoring Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal. .
It is the sixth round of negotiations between Iran and world powers to revive the 2015 nuclear deal set to resume next weekend, a few days ahead of the June 18 presidential election in Iran new leadership To the power of Tehran.
On Tuesday, Blinken said that even if Iran returned to fulfilling its nuclear agreement, under the name JCPOA (Joint Integral Action Plan (JCPOA)), “hundreds of sanctions will be maintained.”
West Texas crude rose more than $ 70 a barrel on Thursday, the highest level in more than two years, due to optimism in strong U.S. economic demand, Reuters reported.
Among those identified as the target of U.S. sanctions recently announced on Thursday was Abdi Nasir Ali Mahamud, a houthi aide based in Turkey who allegedly coordinated the smuggling of petrochemicals for the network and related Aldoon General Trading companies.
Manoj Sabharwal, the head of maritime transport in the Basque Country, Hani Abd-al-Majid Muhammad As’ad, a Turkish accountant, Jami Ali Muhammad, a Somali businessman, were also punished.
The two Syrian men, Tlaib Ali Husayn Al-Ahmad al-Rawi, who is based in Turkey and Abdul Jalil Mallah, who is based in Greece, allegedly facilitated transfers to the Yemeni exchange linked to the vacuum.
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