U.S. Sanctions Houthi Leaders for Arranging Weapons Deals With Russia
The U.S. Treasury has imposed new counterterrorism sanctions on seven Houthi leaders who worked to secure weaponry from the Russian government and supply Yemeni fighters for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. No Russian officials were sanctioned in the announcement.
The Houthis repeatedly attacked merchant shipping in the Red Sea from late 2023 through the end of 2024, then paused their operations in January after the announcement of the group's stated objective - the phased ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinian terror group Hamas. The Houthis' primary military sponsor is the government of Iran, which has provided the group with weapons and funding for years, but the U.S. Treasury also has reason to believe that the terrorist organization has received support from Iran's Russian allies as well.
"By seeking weapons from a growing array of international suppliers, Houthi leaders have shown their intent to continue their reckless and destabilizing actions in the Red Sea region," said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent in a statement. "The United States will use all available tools to disrupt the Houthis’ terrorist activities and degrade their ability to threaten U.S. personnel, our regional partners, and global maritime trade."
According to the Treasury, Houthi spokesman Mohammad Abdulsalam has helped arrange the group's efforts to get weapons and support from the Russian government, working from offices in Oman. Abdulsalam has traveled to Moscow and met with the Russian foreign ministry, as well as members of the Russian military, according to the Treasury's staff. An aide to Abdulsalam, Eshaq Abdulmalek Abdullah Almarwani was also designated for his role in the talks.
Ali Muhammad Muhsin Salih Al-Hadi, head of the Sanaa Chamber of Commerce (SCC), plays a key role in financing Houthi weapons purchasing. He has traveled to Russia to make arrangements "to secure defense equipment for Houthi militants and investment in Houthi-controlled industries," according to the Treasury.
Top Houthi leader Mahdi Mohammed Hussein Al-Mashat, chairman of the terror group's Supreme Political Council (SPC), has also worked to increase cooperation between the Russian government, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Houthi movement, according to the Treasury. SPC member Mohamed Ali Al-Houthi helped coordinate the group's truce with Russia and China, which pledged a moratorium on Houthi strikes on maritime traffic linked to the Houthis' leading international supporters.
Also named were two senior Houthi operatives - Abdulmalek Abdullah Mohammed E Alagri and Khaled Hussein Saleh Gaber - who also traveled to Russia to participate in the meetings. Alagri has also joined talks with the Chinese government, according to the Treasury.
The Houthi military trade with Russia involves both imports and exports, according to the Treasury. The department asserts that Houthi operative and "major general" Abdulwali Abdoh Hasan Al-Jabri operated a "lucrative human smuggling operation, recruiting Yemeni civilians to fight for Russia in Ukraine." The recruits were not always well-informed of their new role, Treasury said, but their efforts have earned the terrorist group a new source of much-needed revenue.
The weapons talks between Moscow and the Houthis may have had direct relevance to the safety of shipping in the Red Sea. In September, government sources told Reuters that Iran was helping the Houthis negotiate with Russia to acquire the P-800 Oniks (Onyx, Yakhont) supersonic antiship missile - a potent upgrade to the terrorist group's Iranian-supplied munitions, which sank two ships out of more than a hundred attacked. Houthi officials likely met with Russian representatives in Tehran twice last year, security sources told Reuters, and the talks about procuring the Oniks were expected to continue.