The Biden Administration Imposes Sanctions on Alleged Houthi Funding Network Using Counterterrorism Powers
The Biden administration is in the process of considering the redesignation of the Houthi rebel group as a foreign terrorist organization due to recent attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. At the same time, the U.S. Treasury Department has used its counterterrorism authority to impose sanctions on a suspected Iran-linked network that has been funding the Houthi movement in Yemen.
Under the authority of a 2001 presidential executive order targeting individuals involved in or at risk of committing acts of terrorism, the Treasury Department designated Nabil Ali Ahmed Al-Hadha for sanctions. Al-Hadha is the president of the Currency Exchangers Association in Sana’a, Yemen, a city currently under Houthi control. The department also imposed sanctions on three exchange and money transfer companies that are linked to the Houthi-run movement.
The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, have been in conflict with Yemen’s internationally recognized government since 2004. The group took over the Yemeni capital in 2014, leading to a civil war and intervention by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Although the Yemeni civil war has quieted down recently, the Houthi movement, backed by Iran, has turned its focus to the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. These recent activities, including attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, have prompted the U.S. to reconsider the terrorist designation for the group.
In late November, the Houthis claimed responsibility for attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and for the hijacking of a cargo ship, prompting concern from the U.S. regarding the movements of the group. The Treasury Department linked the individuals and companies targeted by the recent sanctions to an Iranian financier with alleged ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), which the U.S. has already designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
While the U.S. deliberates on the terrorist designation for the Houthi movement, there has been criticism of the Biden administration for not yet reaching a decision on the matter. The administration has indicated that there is no specific timeline for when a decision will be made. NTD News reached out to various government departments for comment on this issue but did not receive a response by press time.
