The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on 18 companies, individuals, and vessels connected to Sa’id al-Jamal, a financial official linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and supporting Houthi operations. The entities involved are accused of facilitating illicit oil shipments that fund Houthi attacks in the region.
"The Houthis remain reliant on Sa’id al-Jamal’s international network and affiliated facilitators to transport and sell Iranian oil, continuing their campaign of violence," stated Bradley T. Smith, Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. "Treasury remains committed to utilizing all available tools to disrupt this key source of illicit revenue that enables the Houthis’ destabilizing activities."
This action is executed under Executive Order 13224, targeting those who provide support to designated terrorist groups. OFAC had previously sanctioned al-Jamal on June 10, 2021, while Ansarallah (Houthis) were designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group on February 16, 2024.
The al-Jamal network reportedly uses front companies across multiple jurisdictions to sell Iranian petroleum products for Houthi benefit. Among these companies is Changtai Shipping Ltd., which owns the Panama-flagged crude oil tanker KAPOK. This vessel transported over a million barrels of crude oil for al-Jamal and Türkiye-based businessman Abdi Nasir Ali Mahamud.
Additional entities implicated include Motionavigations Limited from Marshall Islands and Indo Gulf Ship Management LLC from UAE. These companies are said to manage vessels used by the al-Jamal network for transporting Iranian fuel oil.
Individuals such as Yevhen Skriabin, owner of Motionavigations Limited and Eco Max Trading FZE; Rahul Rattanlal Warikoo Rattanlal, managing director of Indo Gulf Ship Management LLC; and Dipankar Mohan Keot, technical manager at Indo Gulf Ship Management LLC, have been designated under E.O. 13224.
Iranian national Ali Barkhordar and Pakistani national Wahid Ullah Durrani have also been sanctioned for their roles as captains overseeing illegal oil transfers between vessels associated with al-Jamal's network.
As a result of these sanctions, all U.S.-based properties or interests belonging to these individuals or entities must be blocked and reported to OFAC. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving these parties without authorization from OFAC.
OFAC emphasizes that its sanctions aim not only at punishing but also encouraging behavioral change among sanctioned parties. Secondary sanctions may apply to foreign financial institutions conducting significant transactions with those newly designated.
For more information about today's designations or seeking removal from an OFAC list, individuals can refer to OFAC's guidelines or contact relevant departments within the U.S. government.
