US Sanctions Target Iranian Tankers in Fight Against Houthis

The US Department of Treasury issued a sixth round of sanctions targeting additional actors and tankers linked to shipping Iranian commodities and fund the activities of related groups in the region, specifically the Houthis, on 26 March.

• "The United States will continue to take action to disrupt the abuse of international energy markets to facilitate terrorist activities," Brian Nelson, undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial Intelligence, said.
• The new sanctions target the network of Houthi financial facilitator Sa'id al-Jamal, which uses several companies and ships to move Iranian commodities.
• "They are making some Iranian cargoes more difficult to get to market and increasing the costs to sell them to China - the main buyer," Rachel Ziemba, a senior adviser at political risk consultancy Horizon Engage, said.
• However, the sanctions are targeted on fuel cargoes supporting Houthi revels and regional partners, not overall Iranian exports, Ziemba added.
• Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the Panama-flagged tanker Dawn II, as well as the tanker's owner, Liberia-based Hassaleh International. It also sanctioned the Palau-flagged tanker Abyss, its Vietnam-based owner Quoc Viet Marine Transport JSC, and its India-based operator Melody Shipmanagement Pvt Ltd.