US warns of more sanctions against Houthis plus continued ‘actions’ against Iran
The United States has warned it will impose more sanctions on Yemen’s Houthis in response to attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and that it will continue ‘actions’ against Iran for supporting the fellow Shiite-Muslim rebels.
The Houthis have been attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea reportedly in protest to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which began following the 7 October Hamas atrocities.
‘We think it’s important that other countries of the world have made clear to the Houthis that these attacks are unacceptable and that these attacks must stop. And we will continue to use our sanctions authority to deprive the Houthis of resources and to further our efforts to crack down on people who provide them with finances or provide them with military equipment,’ State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news briefing, 18 January.
Asked about US reaction to Iran’s support for the Houthis, he said, ‘We will continue to take actions to hold Iran accountable for its activities. We’ve imposed more than 400 sanctions on Iran since the outset of this administration, and we will continue to take whatever actions are appropriate.’
Last week, the US State Department relisted the Houthis as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (‘SDGT’) but not as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (‘FTO’), which would include tougher measures, including travel bans and greater red tape for humanitarian provisions.
In 2021, the Biden administration removed the Houthis, who are officially known as ‘Ansar Allah’, from the two terrorism lists, reversing a decision by the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, CENTCOM (The United States Central Command) said that two US Navy SEALs reported missing since an operation to recover ‘Iranian advanced conventional weapons’ from a boat allegedly en route to the Houthis on 11 January, had still not been found. They are presumed dead, it said in a 21 January statement.
https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-january-18-2024/
