US sanctions network shipping Russian weapons and stolen Ukrainian grain to the Houthis
Ofac cites two journeys from Ukraine to Yemen by Zafar, a bulker which was jointly investigated by Lloyd’s List and Bellingcat last year
The US has announced sanctions against a Russian-Houthi network that supplied the Yemeni faction with weapons and stolen grain from Ukraine
THE US has announced sanctions targeting a Houthi-Russian network that supplied Russian weapons and stolen Ukrainian grain to the Yemeni faction.
The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said two Russia-based Afghan businessmen, brothers Hushang Ghairat and Sohrab Ghairat, assisted US-sanctioned Houthi financier Sa’id al-Jamal with “commercial initiatives in Russia”, which included arms procurement and plundering of Ukrainian grain.
“In summer and autumn [of] 2024, Hushang and Sohrab, at Sa’id al-Jamal’s direction, orchestrated at least two shipments of stolen Ukrainian grain from Crimea to Yemen on board the Russia-flagged AM Theseus, also known as Zafar (IMO: 9720263),” Ofac said in statement on Wednesday.
Lloyd’s List and Bellingcat have jointly published investigations into two voyages made by Zafar, a 37,300 dwt bulker, on July 2024 and December 2024.
In both instances, the ship was tracked loading cargo from the occupied port of Sevastopol and later calling in the Houthi-controlled Saleef port.
Ofac designated the two brothers, Zafar, its Hong Kong-based registered owner AM Asia M6 Limited, and two Russian nationals that served as the ship’s masters in 2024.
The agency also designated three Russian companies where Sohrab is the “general director”.
In addition, Ofac sanctioned Hassan Jafari, a Türkiye-based Iranian national it accused of working with Hushang and al-Jamal to launder money on the latter’s behalf.
“Jafari also arranged payments worth millions of dollars in support of shipments benefiting the Houthis,” Ofac said.
