The United States Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on several individuals and entities in Russia, including Afghan nationals Hushang Ghairat and his brother Sohrab Ghairat, for allegedly assisting Yemen’s Houthi rebels through a financial and logistical network tied to Iran.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Treasury accused the Ghairat brothers of aiding Sa’id al-Jamal, a key Houthi financier based in Iran, in acquiring millions of dollars’ worth of weapons, sensitive goods, and reportedly even stolen Ukrainian grain from Russia. The Treasury did not disclose further details regarding the brothers’ specific roles in the operation.
Sa’id al-Jamal has been under US sanctions for his alleged role in financing and arming the Houthis, a group Washington has designated as a global terrorist organization.
“The Houthis depend on Sa’id al-Jamal and his network to obtain critical supplies for their terrorist war machine,” said Scott Bessent, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “Today’s action reaffirms our resolve to curb the Houthis’ destabilising regional threats.”
The announcement comes as part of a broader US campaign to counter Houthi activities, which has recently included multiple airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen.
