By Al-Fassel | 2024-03-31

The United States on March 26 sanctioned six entities, one individual and two tankers for facilitating shipments and financial transactions for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF), the Houthis and Hizbullah.

The sanctions are "yet another step in a concerted campaign to disrupt IRGC-QF finances and its support to terrorist proxies such as the Houthis," the US Treasury said in a statement.

This was the sixth round of sanctions targeting the network of Iran-based, IRGC-QF-backed Houthi financial facilitator Said al-Jamal since December, it said.

Al-Jamal, who is already under US sanctions, heads a network of front companies and vessels that generate revenue for the Houthis.

The new sanctions target a web of companies and vessels based or registered in Liberia, India, Vietnam, Lebanon and Kuwait that facilitate shipments of Iranian commodities through forged shipping documents and other deceptive practices.

All operate on behalf of the Said al-Jamal network.

Liberia-based Hassaleh International Company, the registered owner of the Panama-flagged tanker Dawn II, worked with al-Jamal and his business partner Abdi Nasir Ali Mahamud to ship Iranian commodities to China.

The Said al-Jamal network coordinated with India-based KNH Shipping Private Limited (also known as KNH Global Private Limited) to procure forged shipping documents to obfuscate the origin of the commodities onboard the Dawn II.

The network also used the Palau-flagged tanker Abyss to ship Iranian commodities to China, also using forged shipping documents to disguise the Iranian origin of its cargo.

Abyss is owned by Vietnam-based Quoc Viet Marine Transport JSC and operated by India-based Melody Shipmanagement Pvt Ltd.

Lebanon-based Syrian money exchanger Tawfiq Muhammad Said al-Law was sanctioned for providing Hizbullah with digital wallets to receive funds from IRGC-QF commodity sales.

He also enabled Hizbullah to conduct cryptocurrency transfers on behalf of the sanctioned Syrian Qaterji Company.

Al-Law has similarly conducted cryptocurrency transfers for sanctioned Hizbullah officials, including Muhammad Jafar Qasir and Muhammad Qasim al-Bazzal, and provided financial services to al-Jamal and his network.

He used Kuwait-based Orchidia Regional for General Trading and Contracting Company and Mass Com Group General Trading and Contracting Company WLL to transfer money for the purchase of goods supporting the network.

"The United States will continue to take action to disrupt the abuse of international energy markets to facilitate terrorist activities," said US Treasury official Brian E. Nelson.