The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on Friday that it is designating 21 individuals and entities and identifying one vessel that have transferred oil products, procured weapons and dual-use equipment, and provided financial services for Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
A press release by OFAC added that “This action targets financial conduits between the Iranian government and the Houthis, building on previous Treasury actions to constrict the Iranian regime’s use of its oil wealth to fund regional terrorist proxies at the expense of the Iranian population’s welfare.
It also targets key front companies, facilitators, and operatives located in Yemen, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that are part of the Houthis’ vast revenue generation and smuggling networks, which enable the group to sustain its capability to conduct destabilizing regional activities and unprovoked attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Despite the pressure of international sanctions, the Houthis continue to acquire a significant amount of revenue through illicit oil sales, generating over $2 billion annually. As part of the Houthi oil sales operation, the Iranian government both sells and provides a free monthly shipment of oil to the Houthis using Iranian-owned or affiliated companies based in Dubai, UAE.
Al Sharafi Oil Companies Services and Adeema Oil FZC, owned by Waleed Fathi Salam Baidhani, and Arkan Mars Petroleum DMCC are among the major Houthi oil and gas facilitators based in the UAE. These companies receive financial support from the Iranian government and maintain ties to Iranian nationals. Alsaa Petroleum and Shipping FZC (Alsaa), owned by Iranian national Imran Asghar, is one of the main UAE-based, Iran-affiliated companies involved in facilitating financial transactions between the Iranian government and Houthi-affiliated oil companies. Alsaa has also acted as a front company to make payments and review trades for Arkan Mars Petroleum DMCC.
The Houthis pay the Iran-affiliated companies by sending money to UAE-based exchanges, including Janat Al Anhar General Trading LLC (Janat Al Anhar), via exchange companies in Sana’a, Yemen. Janat Al Anhar is the new operating name of Abu Sumbol General Trading L.L.C. following its 2024 designation for support to Iran-based Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal.
Zayd ‘Ali Ahmed Al-Sharafi (Zayd Al-Sharafi) uses his businesses, Yemen-based Black Diamond Petroleum Derivatives and Al-Sharafi Oil Companies Services, to import and export oil for the Houthi-led government.
New Ocean Trading FZE (New Ocean) is a commercial entity that provides logistical support to the Houthis. New Ocean acted as an agent for a Yemeni company that procured military equipment for the Houthis.
One such company, Wadi Kabir Co. for Logistics Services (Wadi Kabir), is a Sana’a-based shipping facilitator with a branch in Oman that has conducted weapons smuggling operations for the Houthis.
The Oman-based shipping and logistics firm Rabya for Trading FZC (Rabya), at the behest of its Oman-based director and beneficial owner Ameen Hamid Mohammed Dahan (Dahan), used its warehouse located in Oman’s Al-Mayzunah Free Market Zone to assist Wadi Kabir to conceal the Kornet ATGMs for transport into Yemen.
Al-Ridhwan Exchange and Transfer Company (Al-Ridhwan), based in Sana’a, is a Houthi-affiliated exchange house that plays a key role in facilitating payments for the group’s weapons procurement and other destabilizing activities.
Following the designation of the Houthis as an FTO in March 2025, OFAC issued a humanitarian general license to allow in-progress deliveries of petroleum products to ports in northern Yemen to be safely offloaded through April 4, 2025.
However, even after this allowed period for wind-down activities, certain vessels have continued to deliver petroleum products to Houthi-controlled ports, providing vital economic support to the Houthis and in clear violation of restrictions on doing business with an FTO.
Albarraq Shipping Co and its sole director, Ebrahim Ahmed Abdullah Al-Matari, facilitated the delivery of oil products to Ras Isa port via the vessel ALBARRAQ Z after the expiration of OFAC’s GL 25A. ALBARRAQ Z discharged oil products at Ras Isa port in July 2025. Ahmad Ismail served as the captain of ALBARRAQ Z.
OFAC is also designating the captains of four previously designated vessels that delivered petroleum products to Houthi-controlled ports.
Albarraq Shipping Co, Ahmad Ismail, Ahmad Adriss, Ahmad Bseis, Ranveer Singh, and Alexander Yurovich Pshenichnyyare being designated for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the Houthis.
Ebrahim Ahmed Abdullah Al-Matari is being designated pursuant for owning or controlling, directly or indirectly, Albarraq Shipping Co.
The ALBARRAQ Z is being identified as property in which Albarraq Shipping Co has an interest.
As a result of Fridday’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.
In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.
Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons.
Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons.
Furthermore, engaging in certain transactions involving the persons designated today may risk the imposition of secondary sanctions on participating foreign financial institutions.