Washington imposes sanctions on entities in China for their involvement in supplying arms to the Houthis
Yemen Monitor/News Room
The US State Department announced on Sunday that it is imposing sanctions on entities in China for their involvement in supplying arms to the Houthis in Yemen, threatening international navigation in the Red Sea.
Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the US State Department, said in a press statement that the Houthis have been recklessly threatening freedom of navigation in the Red Sea since November 2023.
“Today, we are imposing sanctions on key actors, including some based in the Republic of China that have enabled Houthi forces to generate revenue and acquire a range of materials necessary to manufacture the advanced weapons they use to carry out current terrorist attacks against US interests and those of its allies,” he added.
He also noted that the United States has placed three individuals and six entities that facilitated the supply of arms to the Houthis on the sanctions lists. We are also designating a vessel owned by one of these entities as prohibited property.
“The Houthis’ relentless attacks on unarmed merchant ships continue to disrupt navigation in a vital waterway,” he continued, stressing his country’s commitment to using all available tools to hinder the flow of military-grade materials to Yemen, as this enables the Houthis to carry out these terrorist attacks.
He pointed out that the US Treasury Department is taking these actions today (Sunday) under the authority to combat terrorism granted by Executive Order 13224, as amended.
On Wednesday, US imposed new sanctions on a group of entities and individuals involved in operations related to arming the Houthi group.
The US Treasury Department also placed Abdul Wahab Mohammed Al-Wazir, a Yemeni Houthi member residing in China who played a key role in purchasing materials that enable the Houthis to manufacture advanced conventional weapons inside Yemen, on the sanctions list, and imposed sanctions on Guangzhou Tasneem Trading Company – a subsidiary of Tasneem Trading Company in Hong Kong – for shipping these materials to Yemen and providing financial and technological support to the Houthi group.
The Treasury Department said that Houthi leaders are purchasing these materials used in weapons manufacturing from suppliers in China using import and export partnerships in third countries. It also placed Moaz Ahmed Mohammed Al-Haifi on the sanctions list for purchasing, facilitating and transporting cruise missile components to Yemen in coordination with senior Houthi leaders, enabling them to carry out attacks against US allies in the region.
The US sanctions come as the latest US steps aimed at pressuring the Houthis to stop their attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, which have disrupted global trade, raised shipping costs and forced companies to change their shipping routes through the Red Sea to the Cape of Good Hope route and around the African continent.
Since November, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) has recorded more than 190 attacks on US military or commercial ships off the coast of Yemen, including nearly 100 attacks since the start of US airstrikes last January.
The Houthis have sunk two ships, including the Rubymar in March and the Greek-owned coal tanker Tutor, which was hit in the stern last week by a surface vessel packed with explosives.
Also in March, the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile, setting fire to the Barbados-flagged True Confidence, killing three people, according to the Washington Post.
