US imposes sanctions on network supplying Houthis with weapons and Ukrainian grain

This was stated in a press release from the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), published on Wednesday, according to Ukrinform.

“Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against a network of Houthi financial intermediaries and buyers operating in conjunction with Saeed al-Jamal, a high-profile Houthi financial representative backed by the Islamic Revolutionary Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF),” the press release said.

The statement said the network purchased goods worth tens of millions of lari from Russia, including weapons and sensitive goods, as well as Ukrainian grain, for shipment to Houthi-controlled Yemen.

Additionally, OFAC identified eight digital wallets used by the Houthis to transfer funds related to their activities.

The sanctions were imposed on Afghan businessman Khushang Ghairat and his brother Sohrab Ghairat, who are based in Russia and helping the Houthis obtain weapons. In the summer and fall of 2024, the brothers organized at least two shipments of Ukrainian grain from Crimea to Yemen aboard the Russian-flagged AM THESEUS, also known as ZAFAR.

The sanctions also affected AM Asia M6 Ltd, a Hong Kong-registered company that owns and operates the vessel and energy carrier AM THESEUS, as well as Russian citizens Vyacheslav Vidanov and Yuri Belyakov, who at various times captained the vessel when it was used to transport grain.

US President Donald Trump has previously claimed that the Tehran regime supplies weapons and funding to the Houthis in Yemen and controls their actions in the region.