THE US Office of Foreign Assets Control has continued its campaign to disrupt Houthi efforts to procure weapons and the transport of Iranian oil, with yet more sanctions against one individual, three companies and two vessels.

Three China-based companies, Shenzhen Jinghon Electronics Ltd, Shenzhen Rion Technology Co and Shenzhen Boyu Imports and Exports Co, have been accused by Ofac of supplying components used by the Iran-backed rebel group for missile and drone manufacturing.

Shenzhen Rion was designated by an earlier raft of Ofac sanctions in July for allegedly supplying GPS navigation systems to Iran.

Iran-based Hasan Al-Kuhlani has also been sanctioned for allegedly smuggling Houthi weapons.

“The Houthis continue to leverage their networks of companies and procurement operatives to sustain their reckless attacks on civilian vessels, their unarmed crews, and civilian populations,” said US Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley Smith.

“Treasury remains committed to using our full suite of tools to disrupt the supply chain networks that enable the Houthis’ destabilising activities.”

Two crude tankers, Gabon-flagged Izumo (IMO: 9249324) and Cook Islands-flagged Frunze (IMO: 9263643), have also been sanctioned by Ofac, after the US authority said they had transported sanctioned oil and petroleum products for sanctioned Iranian Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) front company Sepehr Energy and Houthi financial official Sa’id al-Jamal.

Frunze had been linked by Ofac to the transport of sanctioned Iranian oil, while both tankers had carried Russian oil.

Ofac said al-Jamal’s network had provided “tens of millions of dollars of illicit sales revenue to support the funding of the Houthis’ attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea”.

The owner of both vessels, Marshall Islands-based Gemini Marine Limited, has also been designated by Ofac.