Under U.S. President Donald Trump, there is no ambivalence in Washington regarding the Houthis. Handling all of the statutory requirements required to press the Houthis harder, the U.S. Department of State designated Ansarallah (the Houthis) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, effective February 16, 2024. The Houthis entered this specific category for having committed or attempted to commit, posing a significant risk of committing, or having participated in training to commit acts of terrorism. On March 5, the Department of State moved a step further and announced the re-designation of Ansarallah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended.
Even before October 7, 2023, the Houthis have launched hundreds of attacks against Red Sea shipping in addition to staging multiple drone and ballistic missile attacks on Israel itself when the Gaza war began.
Moving in tandem on March 5, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against seven high-ranking members of Ansarallah. These individuals have smuggled military-grade items and weapon systems into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and also negotiated Houthi weapons procurements from Russia. OFAC also designated one Houthi-affiliated operative as well as his company that have recruited Yemeni civilians to fight on behalf of Russia in Ukraine and generated revenue to support the Houthis’ militant operations.
“By seeking weapons from a growing array of international suppliers, Houthi leaders have shown their intent to continue their reckless and destabilizing actions in the Red Sea region,” noted Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. He added, “The United States will use all available tools to disrupt the Houthis’ terrorist activities and degrade their ability to threaten U.S. personnel, our regional partners, and global maritime trade.”
Sanctions on top Houthi figures
OFAC reports that Houthi political operatives, including some of the group’s most prominent members, have sought new sources of advanced weapons, military grade materiel, and foreign support to drive attacks. Mohammad Abdulsalam is the Houthis’ Oman-based spokesman and has played a key role in managing the Houthis’ internal and external financing network. Abdulsalam has also facilitated the Houthis’ efforts to secure weapons and other support from Russia. As part of this effort, Abdulsalam has traveled to Moscow to meet with Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs personnel and has coordinated with Russian military personnel to arrange for additional Houthi delegations to visit Russia.
Eshaq Abdulmalek Abdullah Almarwani is a high-ranking Houthi operative and deputy to Abdulsalam. Almarwani has participated in high-level Houthi delegations to Russia for discussions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow and has coordinated with other high-ranking Houthi operatives to advance Houthi interests internationally.
Mahdi Mohammed Hussein Al-Mashat is the Chairman of the Houthi-aligned Supreme Political Council (SPC). As SPC Chairman, Al-Mashat has worked to increase cooperation between the Houthis and the Government of Russia, including with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mohamed Ali Al-Houthi (Mohamed Ali) is an important operative within the Houthi group, serving as a member of the SPC and former chairman of the SPC’s predecessor, the Supreme Revolutionary Committee. Amid the Houthis’ ongoing maritime attack campaign, Mohamed Ali has communicated with officials from Russia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to ensure that Houthi militants allow safe passage for Russian or PRC vessels transiting the Red Sea. Speaking on behalf of the Houthis, Mohamed Ali has outlined the Houthis’ commitment to guarantee safe transit for Russian vessels.
Ali Muhammad Muhsin Salih Al-Hadi is the head of the Houthi-aligned Sanaa Chamber of Commerce (SCC), having served in this role since the Houthis raided and took control of the SCC in May 2023. Following his appointment to the SCC, Al-Hadi became a key financier of Houthi weapons procurement, using his position on the SCC and shell company to fund and obfuscate purchases of military-grade equipment on behalf of the Houthis. As part of this effort, he has traveled to Russia to secure defense equipment for Houthi militants and investment in Houthi-controlled industries.
Abdulmalek Abdullah Mohammed E Alagri is a senior Houthi operative. Alagri has traveled as a member of prominent Houthi political and military delegations to Moscow, where he has represented Houthi interests in meetings with high-ranking Russian officials, as well as to the PRC.
Khaled Hussein Saleh Gaber is a Houthi operative who has traveled on Houthi delegations to Russia, where he has participated in meetings with Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials. Gaber also maintains a close relationship with Houthi financial official Said Al-Jamal and coordinates illicit procurement and finance activities.
Recruitment of Yemenis to fight for Russia
Houthi leaders have devised numerous revenue-generating schemes to enable their attack campaign, often at the expense of Yemen’s most vulnerable populations. According to OFAC, individuals acting on behalf of the Houthis operated a lucrative human smuggling operation, recruiting Yemeni civilians to fight for Russia in Ukraine, often under false and misleading pretenses.
Abdulwali Abdoh Hasan Al-Jabri, a Houthi militant operative who served as a so-called major general in the Houthi militia, facilitated a key part of this effort using his company, Al-Jabri General Trading and Investment Co (Al-Jabri Co). Through Al-Jabri Co, Al-Jabri facilitated the transfer of Yemeni civilians to Russian military units fighting in Ukraine in exchange for cash, generating a new source of revenue on behalf of Houthi leaders.
Al-Jabri is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Ansarallah.
Sanctions Obligations and Legal Restrictions
As a result of the March 5 sanctions, all property and interests in property of these individuals and entities named by OFAC, and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by them, individually, or with other blocked persons, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transactions transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of designated or blocked persons. U.S. persons must comply with OFAC regulations, including all U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens regardless of where they are located, all persons within the United States, and all U.S.-incorporated entities and their foreign branches.
It is important to note that non-U.S. persons are also subject to certain OFAC prohibitions. For example, non-U.S. persons are prohibited from causing or conspiring to cause U.S. persons to violate U.S. sanctions wittingly or unwittingly, as well as engaging in conduct that evades U.S. sanctions. Violations of OFAC regulations may result in civil or criminal penalties. OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations based on strict liability, meaning that a person subject to U.S. jurisdiction may be held civilly liable even if such person did not know or have reason to know that it was engaging in a transaction that was prohibited under sanctions laws and regulations administered by OFAC.
In addition, engaging in certain transactions with the individuals and entities designated on March 5 entails the risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended. Pursuant to this authority, OFAC can prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account of a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducted or facilitated any significant transaction on behalf of a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
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