OFAC Sanctions Shippers, Vessels Moving Cargo for Iran, Houthis

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned people, companies and ships for helping to transport oil and commodities on behalf of the Iranian military and for Sa’id al-Jamal, an Iranian-backed financial facilitator for the Yemen-based Houthis. OFAC said the companies and ships have moved goods to Yemen and the United Arab Emirates, helping finance the Houthis’ “reckless targeting” of commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

The designations target companies registered in the Marshall Islands and based in the UAE, Malaysia and Hong Kong. OFAC also sanctioned people and ships tied to those companies, including Palau-, Eswatini- and Principe-flagged oil tankers and an Indian national captaining a ship moving petroleum gas to Yemen. OFAC also updated the Specially Designated Nationals List entry for the sanctioned vessel Artura -- responsible for shipping commodities for al-Jamal (see 2403060017) -- to reflect its new name: Ohar.