The US Treasury Department imposed a fresh round of economic sanctions Wednesday on key Houthi officials, exposing an extensive network of weapons deals, financial transfers, and human trafficking operations between the Yemen-based terrorist organization and Russia. Documents released alongside the sanctions detail how Houthi leaders made multiple trips to Moscow, coordinated attacks to avoid Russian vessels, and established a mercenary pipeline sending Yemeni citizens to fight in Ukraine in exchange for cash and military support.
According to the Treasury Department, the sanctions target Houthi officials who smuggled military equipment and weapons systems to areas under their control in the Arab country. These individuals also conducted negotiations to purchase weapons and military equipment for the organization from Russia. Against this background, the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the Treasury Department added another activist associated with the Houthis to the list, along with his company, which recruited Yemeni citizens to fight for Russia in Ukraine and transferred funds to support the organization.
Sanctioning Houthi Leaders for Weapons Procurement and Destabilizing Violencehttps://t.co/TVEaWB5Tl5
— U.S. State Dept - Near Eastern Affairs (@StateDept_NEA) March 5, 2025
As part of efforts to generate revenue, the Yemeni terrorist organization recruited Yemeni citizens to fight in Ukraine for Russia – sometimes through deception. One of the key figures was a senior Houthi commander known as al-Jabari, who managed a sort of manpower company. Through this company, he transferred Yemeni citizens to Russian military units in exchange for cash, creating a new source of income for the organization.
Senior Houthi official Mohammad Ali al-Houthi responded last night to the US State Department's decision to designate Ansar Allah (the Houthis) as a terrorist organization: "Bringing supplies into Gaza is higher on our list of priorities than the American decision, which is illegal," he claimed. "Preventing supplies to Gaza and sabotaging peace agreements is American terrorism, contrary to our support for Gaza through maritime operations."
U.S Treasury sanctioned 7 high ranking #Houthis leaders including spokesman for smuggling military-grade items & weapon systems to #Yemen, negotiating Houthi weapons procurements from Russia, & recruiting Yemeni civilians to fight for Russia in Ukrainehttps://t.co/k4nK4NgmFx https://t.co/XP5ArHEZBw pic.twitter.com/mbfUVzEvRN
— عبده علي الحذيفي Abdu Ali Al-hothifi (@abduhothifi) March 5, 2025
The Office of Foreign Assets Control listed the names of senior Houthi officials who will face sanctions. The first figure is Mohammad Abd al-Salam. He is the organization's spokesman in the Sultanate of Oman, who played a key role in managing the Houthis' internal and external funding network. Al-Salam also facilitated weapons deals and support from Russia. As part of this effort, he flew to Moscow to meet with Russian Foreign Ministry officials and coordinate with Russian officers to organize additional Houthi delegations in the country. Another senior figure who will face American sanctions is Ashaq Abd al-Malik al-Marwani. He is an assistant to Abd al-Salam.
The US also mentioned Mahdi Mohammad Hussein al-Mashat – head of the Supreme Political Council of the Houthis in Yemen. As head of the council, he worked to increase cooperation between the Houthis and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It should be noted that he is a close associate of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and acts as his representative.
The American report also mentions Mohammad Ali al-Houthi. The senior organization member serves on the Supreme Council and in this capacity managed contacts with official representatives from Russia and China. The goal was to ensure that Houthi attacks in the Red Sea would not harm Russian or Chinese vessels. At one point, he also planned to fly to Russia with intelligence operatives to discuss Russian assistance to the organization.
Another senior official who will be subject to sanctions is Ali Mohammad Saleh al-Hadi. He is the head of the Sanaa Chamber of Commerce, which is controlled by the Houthis. In this role, he became a central figure transferring funding to the organization for weapons purchases. As part of this effort, he flew to Russia several times to secure defense equipment for the organization and investments in industries controlled by the Houthis in Yemen.
Two additional senior officials mentioned are Abdul-Malik al-Ghari and Khaled Hussein Jaber. The former participated in Houthi delegations to Russia and China. The latter participated in meetings with Russian Foreign Ministry officials and managed contacts regarding illegal weapons deals.
The sanctions mean that any property or interests of these individuals located in the US or under US control will be blocked. The sanctions also generally prohibit the US or people in the US from being involved in transactions with these individuals.
