US sanctions Houthi, Hezbollah trade networks

​​​​​​​By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US on Thursday announced sanctions targeting Houthi and Hezbollah trade networks as the region braces for possible retaliations by Iran and Hezbollah after a pair of high-profile assassinations.

The US Treasury Department said in a statement it targeted several companies, individuals and vessels for their involvement in the shipment of Iranian commodities, including oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), to Yemen and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on behalf of a Houthi financial official's network.

It accused Sa’id al-Jamal's network of financing the Houthis’ reckless targeting of shipping in the Red Sea and civilian infrastructure.

“Today’s action underscores our continued commitment to disrupting Iran’s primary source of funding to its regional terrorist proxies like Lebanese Hizballah (Hezbollah) and the Houthis,” said Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Bradley Smith.

The State Department said separately that the US is also sanctioning a company and blocking four of its vessels they said are "tied to Hizballah official Muhammad Qasim al-Bazzal and the shipment of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas valued at tens of millions of dollars."

"The revenue from this network finances the Houthis’ reckless attacks in vital waterways and strikes on civilian infrastructure, with devastating consequences for the region and globe. We will continue to use the tools at our disposal to deprive the Houthis of revenue to carry out their attacks on international shipping, and we will continue to confront Iran’s enabling Houthi attack," said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel in a statement.