On Tuesday, the United States imposed sanctions on Iranian and Houthi leaders, as well as a shipping entity involved in transporting over $100 million worth of Iranian goods to China. Among those sanctioned were Mohammad Reza Falahzadeh, the deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), and Ibrahim al-Nashiri, associated with Yemen’s Houthi militia. These sanctions, as stated by the Treasury Department, were in response to the Iranian military’s provision of weapons and intelligence to the Houthis, facilitating their attacks on international maritime routes in the Red Sea.
The sanctions also targeted Cap Tees Shipping Co., Ltd, a company owning and operating a vessel implicated in the transportation of Iranian commodities intended to financially support the Houthis and the IRGC-QF. The region has seen increased shipping risks due to recurrent drone and missile assaults by the Houthis in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, aimed at backing Palestinians in Gaza. Despite retaliatory actions by U.S. and British forces on Houthi infrastructure, these efforts have not successfully curbed the attacks.
Additionally, the U.S. sanctioned two firms involved in managing a vessel that transported Iranian goods worth over $100 million to Chinese enterprises, acting on behalf of Iran’s defense ministry. This operation was conducted in January using the Panamanian-flagged Kohana, owned by Hong Kong’s Kohana Company Limited and operated by Marshall Islands-based Iridescent Co Ltd. Concurrently, Britain updated its sanctions list, adding five new entries under its Iran sanctions regime and one under its Yemen sanctions framework, as per a government notice. See article here.
