Britain and the United States jointly announced on Thursday that they have imposed sanctions on four senior Houthi officials for their roles in supporting or directing attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthi attacks have raised concerns about disruptions to global shipping and potential impacts on global inflation. The sanctioned individuals include Houthi Defense Minister Mohamed Nasser Al-Atifi, Commander of Houthi Naval Forces Muhammad Fadl Abd Al-Nabi, coastal defense forces chief Muhammad Ali Al-Qadiri, and Muhammed Ahmad Al-Talibi, described as the Houthi forces director of procurement.
Both nations expressed concerns over the Houthis’ persistent terrorist attacks on merchant vessels and their crews, emphasizing the threat to international supply chains and the freedom of navigation. The US Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, stated, “Today’s joint action with the United Kingdom demonstrates our collective effort to leverage all authorities to stop these attacks.”
Britain highlighted that the four individuals played roles in acts that “threaten the peace, security, and stability of Yemen.” The sanctions involve freezing any US-based assets of the targeted individuals and generally prohibiting Americans from engaging in transactions with them.
In addition to the sanctions, on Monday, US and British forces conducted a new round of strikes in Yemen, targeting a Houthi underground storage site and missile and surveillance capabilities used by the Iran-aligned group against Red Sea shipping. The move underscores ongoing international efforts to address the security challenges posed by Houthi activities in the region.