American website: Sanctions reveal deep ties between Houthis, Russian and Chinese interests

The American website gCaptain said that the new sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control revealed that Houthi leaders actively coordinated with Russian and Chinese officials to ensure that their ships were not targeted during the group's ongoing naval attacks in the Red Sea.

The website added in a report that according to US Treasury documents, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a prominent member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, explicitly guaranteed safe passage for Russian ships while continuing drone and missile attacks on other commercial vessels in the region. Al-Houthi also plans to hold discussions with Russian officials on military aid to the Houthi group.

In its statement, OFAC said: “Amid the Houthis’ ongoing maritime attack campaign, Mohammed Ali engaged with officials from Russia and the People’s Republic of China to ensure that Houthi militants would not strike Russian or Chinese vessels transiting the Red Sea.”

"On behalf of the Houthis, Mohammed Ali made clear the Houthis' commitment to ensuring the safe passage of Russian ships," she added.

Since November 2023, the Iran-backed Houthis have attacked more than 100 commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, claiming to target ships linked to Israel and its allies in support of the Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The indiscriminate attacks have prompted major shipping services to reroute their services around the Cape of Good Hope, increasing costs and disrupting supply chains. Although the attacks have stopped amid the current ceasefire, shipping services have largely continued to reroute their services.

OFAC’s actions confirm previous reports that the Yemen-based Houthis have agreements with China and Russia that allow their ships to sail through the region without being attacked. However, these assurances have not entirely prevented attacks on ships linked to either country—or at least those carrying their goods.

The new announcements by OFAC come as part of a broader set of sanctions announced Wednesday against seven senior Houthi members, including those involved in arms procurement and maritime operations.

“Houthi leaders have demonstrated their resolve to continue their reckless and destabilizing actions in the Red Sea region,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “The United States will use all available tools to disrupt Houthi terrorist activities and degrade their ability to threaten U.S. personnel, our regional partners, and global maritime commerce.”

The sanctions expose a complex web of cooperation between the Houthis and Russia, including multiple diplomatic missions to Moscow. Mohammed Abdulsalam, a Houthi spokesman based in Oman, has been instrumental in coordinating arms purchases from Russia, including arranging meetings with Russian Foreign Ministry officials.

In a particularly troubling development, Treasury also exposed a human trafficking operation in which Houthi-affiliated individuals recruited Yemeni civilians under false pretenses to fight for Russia in Ukraine. This scheme, carried out through Al-Jabri General Trading and Investment Company, generated additional revenue for Houthi armed operations.

The sanctions follow multiple actions taken by OFAC throughout 2024 targeting Houthi arms procurement networks. Yesterday, the State Department announced the redesignation of Ansar Allah, the Houthis’ official name, as a foreign terrorist organization.

The redesignation comes after the previous Biden administration removed the Houthis from the Foreign Terrorist Organization list in February 2021 over humanitarian concerns in Yemen, only to designate them again as Specially Designated Global Terrorists ( SDGT ) in early 2024 in response to escalating maritime attacks.

Under these new sanctions, all assets of the designated individuals in the United States are frozen, and U.S. citizens are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. In addition, foreign financial institutions risk secondary sanctions for doing business with these sanctioned individuals.

OFAC’s confirmation of selective targeting of vessels based on nationality represents a significant development in the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea, and highlights the deepening ties between the Houthis and Russian and Chinese interests in the region.