US sanctions Hong Kong and UAE firms over Houthi support
- The move comes hours after US and UK forces launched strikes against the rebels in Yemen, seeking to halt their repeated attacks on shipping in the Red Sea
- Cielo Maritime and Global Tech Marine Services allegedly shipped Iranian commodities on behalf of the network of Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal
Washington announced new sanctions on Friday on two companies in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, moving to crack down on the financial network funding Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The move comes hours after US and UK forces launched strikes against the Houthi rebels, seeking to halt their repeated attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthi’s attacks, which the group says are in protest at Israel’s war in Gaza, has forced cargo ships to avoid the Suez Canal – one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
The two companies designated on Friday by the US Treasury Department were Hong Kong-based Cielo Maritime and UAE-based Global Tech Marine Services.
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They were said to have shipped Iranian commodities on behalf of the network of Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal, said the Treasury. Al-Jamal is already under US sanctions.
“The revenue from the commodity sales supports the Houthis and their continued attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,” the department added in a statement.