US sanctions 2 Indians for alleged links to Houthis

The United States has sanctioned 18 companies and individuals, including two Indians, for their alleged ties to a Houthi network transporting Iranian oil, revenue from which enables Houthi attacks on Israel and disrupting shipping in the Red Sea region.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the companies, including the captains of vessels transporting illicit oil, for their ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force-backed Houthi financial official Sa'id al-Jamal and his network, a press release said on Thursday.

The 18 companies sanctioned include Marshall Islands-registered Changtai Shipping and Motionavigations Limited and UAE-based Indo Gulf Ship Management.

The two Indians sanctioned are linked to the Indo Gulf Ship Management, according to the Treasury Department.

The release said that UAE and India-based Indian national Rahul Rattanlal Warikoo acts as the managing director of Indo Gulf Ship Management. He has also served in management roles for US-designated companies Safe Seas Ship Management and Aurum Ship Management, which have been implicated in Iranian oil shipments for Iran's Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics and the al-Jamal network.

Dipankar Mohan Keot, a Hong Kong and India-based Indian national, serves as the technical manager of Indo Gulf Ship Management. In this role, Keot is responsible for monitoring vessel operations, including the budget and expenditure of the vessels under the company's oversight, the release said.

Under the sanctions, all their property and interests in property that are owned directly or indirectly, with more than 50 per cent stake, would be blocked and reported to the OFAC, the release added.

Vessel captains Ali Barkhordar and Wahid Ullah Durrani are also being sanctioned for providing financial, material or technological support to the al-Jamal network.

In mid-August, Iranian national Barkhordar, while acting as the master of the US-sanctioned vessel YORGOS, conducted a ship-to-ship transfer with the US-sanctioned Guyanese-flagged vessel OLYMPICS, captained by Pakistani national Durrani, to load sanctioned oil cargo on behalf of al-Jamal., the release said.

The US said that the revenue from al-Jamal's network continues to enable Houthi attacks in the region, including missile and unmanned aerial vehicle attacks on Israel and commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea.

Bradley T Smith, acting undersecretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said, “The Houthis remain reliant on Sa'id al-Jamal's international network and affiliated facilitators to transport and sell Iranian oil, continuing their campaign of violence.”

“The Treasury remains committed to utilising all available tools to disrupt this key source of illicit revenue that enables the Houthis' destabilising activities,” he added.