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On December 19, 2024, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned a dozen individuals and entities in multiple jurisdictions, including the head of the Houthi-aligned Central Bank of Yemen branch in Sana’a, for their roles in trafficking arms, laundering money, and shipping illicit Iranian petroleum for the benefit of the Houthis.
"Today's action underscores our commitment to leveraging all our tools to disrupt the Houthis' efforts to acquire weapons, procure dual-use components, and secure additional revenue," said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Bradley T. Smith. "The United States will continue to expose these schemes and will hold accountable those who seek to enable the Houthis' destabilizing activities."[1]
"Who Is A Terrorist? Is It The Terrorist Who Fights To Stop Genocide Or The One Who Commits It?"
On December 21, 2024, Houthi Political Bureau member Muhammad Al-Bukhaiti shared a link on his X (formerly Twitter) account to the OFAC report, and wrote in English: "Before you decide your position, ask yourself: Who is a terrorist? Is it the terrorist who fights to stop genocide or the one who commits it?"[2]
Supreme Political Council Member: "Political Sanctions Against Those Who Oppose U.S. Policy"
On December 22, Houthi Supreme Political Council member Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi wrote on his Telegram channel: "The [only] sanctions that scare every Yemeni mujahid are sanctions from Allah. The sanctions declared by the U.S. from time to time are political sanctions that are drawn against those who oppose its policy."
Al-Houthi gave the example of past U.S. sanctions against the International Court of Justice following decisions it handed down against Israel, adding: "America, in defending Israel and its stance against Gaza, has lost its qualification [to impose sanctions on others]."
Houthi-Run National Committee For Prisoners' Affairs: "The U.S. Is Itself Drowning In Crimes Against Humanity"
On December 9, commenting on an earlier designation by the OFAC, the chief of Houthi-run National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs, Abd Al-Qader Al-Murtada, rejected U.S. accusations of involvement in the torture of prisoners, underlining that this is "nothing more than a political decision that has to do with Yemen's support for Palestine."
"The U.S. is itself drowning in crimes against humanity and in Palestine and the entire region," he stated, accusing it of unprecedented atrocities and "despicable torture and acts of murder" committed in its prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan: "Such accusations will not divert us from continuing our efforts to take care of the issue of the hostages and the prisoners, by means of the United Nations and local mediation efforts."[3]
[1] Home.treasury.gov/accessed on December 19, 2024.
[2] X, December 21, 2024.
[3] December 10, 2024.
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