U.S. Sanctions Captains, a Vessel, and Networks Supporting Houthis
The U.S. Department of the Treasury, through its Office of Foreign Assets Control, launched a new effort to break up the networks supporting the Houthis. They pointed to conduits and front companies used to finance the Houthis and smuggle materials with links to Iran.
Today’s action included the designation of five ship captains who had commanded vessels previously designated for delivering petroleum products to Houthi-controlled ports. The U.S. highlights that vessels have continued to deliver petroleum products to the Houthi-controlled ports, providing vital economic support to the militant group. OFAC had issued a humanitarian license to allow in-progress deliveries after the designation in March 2025 of the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Those licenses expired in April 2025.
“Despite the pressure of international sanctions, the Houthis continue to acquire a significant amount of revenue through illicit oil sales, generating over $2 billion annually. As part of the Houthi oil sales operation, the Iranian government both sells and provides a free monthly shipment of oil to the Houthis using Iranian-owned or affiliated companies based in Dubai, UAE,” the U.S. asserts.
A shipping company named Albarraq Shipping they contend, continued to make deliveries using a tanker named Albarraq Z (71,522 dwt). Built in 2003, the vessel appears to have been acquired in 2025 for this purpose and was registered in the Comoros. The U.S. added it to the sanctions today.
The captain of the vessel was one of the individuals designated by OFAC. They also listed the captain of a vessel named Sarah that they said delivered LPG to Ras Isa port in June 2025, and the captain of the Atlantis MZ, which discharged gasoline in June 2025. They also listed the captain of the Akoya Gas, which discharged its cargo in Ras Isa in April, and the captain of the Valente, which discharged gas at Ras Isa in May 2025.
The U.S. charges that the Houthis’ leaders are behind the oil and gas trade and sell the products at “exorbitant prices” to Yemenis. They report the proceeds are pocketed for personal gain and used to fund the group’s military operations.
The broader program also targeted the network that is helping the Houthis procure weapons and other equipment, as well as providing financial services. The U.S. cites key front companies, facilitators, and operatives located in Yemen, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates that are part of the Houthis’ vast revenue generation and smuggling networks.
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The U.S. designated a total of 21 individuals and entities, including oil and gas facilitators in the UAE and front companies used to facilitate financial transactions between the Iranian government and Houthi-affiliated oil companies. They also targeted logistics firms and shipping facilitators used to transport weapons and other military-grade materials into Yemen.
All of this came as the Houthis reappeared on Thursday, making new threats against Israeli installations in Somaliland. It was their first threat of new attacks since the ceasefire in Gaza agreed to in the fall of 2025.
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