The United States has imposed new sanctions on three individuals and six entities accused of facilitating weapons procurement for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, according to a statement from the US State Department. The sanctions also targeted a ship involved in arms smuggling for the Iran-backed group, as well as companies based in China, the Sultanate of Oman, and the UAE.
“We have sanctioned three individuals and six entities that facilitated the purchase of weapons for the Houthis. Additionally, we have designated one ship owned by one of the sanctioned entities as prohibited property,” said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. He emphasized Washington’s commitment to using “the tools available to obstruct the flow of military materials to Yemen.”
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) provided further details, revealing that one of the sanctioned individuals, Ali Abd-al-Wahhab Muhammad al-Wazir, is based in China and plays a key role in procuring materials for the Houthis. Al-Wazir uses his China-based company, Guangzhou Tasneem Trading Company Limited, to obtain and ship these items to Yemen. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Tasneem Trading Company Limited.
Another individual, Muaadh Ahmed Mohammed al-Haifi, who operates the Oman-based International Smart Digital Interface Limited Liability Company (ISDI), was also sanctioned. ISDI has facilitated the transfer of cruise missile components and other dual-use materials into Yemen, playing a significant role in the 2020 Houthi attacks on a Saudi Aramco facility.
Additionally, the US sanctioned the Cameroon-flagged OTARIA, managed by UAE-based Stellar Wave Marine L.L.C. The ship, captained by Vyacheslav Salyga, was involved in loading commodities associated with Houthi financier Said al-Jamal in May 2024, intended for discharge in Singapore.
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson stated that the sanctions aim to disrupt the Houthis’ continued attacks against unarmed commercial vessels by cutting off their access to essential components for missile and UAV production.
