WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) — The United States today announced sanctions against four senior leaders of Yemen's Houthi militant group, saying they supported the militants' recent attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The sanctions were imposed jointly with the United Kingdom, according to a press release from the Ministry of Finance.
According to the bulletin, those sanctioned include the Houthi “defense minister,” the “commander” of the Houthi naval forces, the Houthi “chief of the coastal defense forces,” and the “procurement director” of the Houthi armed forces.
“The Houthis’ attacks on commercial vessels and their civilian crews legally transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden threaten to disrupt international supply chains and freedom of navigation that are critical to security, stability and prosperity. global,” said Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson.
On January 17, the United States redesignated the Houthi group as a “specially designated global terrorist,” reversing the Joe Biden administration's move at the start of his term in office in February 2021 to revoke the designation in light of the serious humanitarian situation at the time Yemen.
Since January 12, the United States has launched multiple strikes against targets in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. The UK has participated directly in some of these and other allies have provided support. End