The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated several companies, individuals, and vessels involved in transporting Iranian goods to Yemen and the UAE on behalf of Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal, and in facilitating Hezbollah’s LPG shipments.
The sanctions include Marshall Islands-registered KDS Shipping, Arafat Shipping, DP Shipping, UAE-based ONX Trading and KFD General Trading, Malaysia-based Transmarine Navigation, and Indian national Arif Ibrahim Khot. Seven additional vessels have been sanctioned, bringing the total for the year to 50 ships barred from doing business with Iran.
Among the targeted ships are the Palau-flagged LPG tanker LPG OM, operated by KDS Shipping, and Arafat Shipping’s Raha Gas, accused of transporting LPG worth millions of dollars to Yemen for al-Jamal. ONX Trading is implicated in facilitating illicit payments for these operations. DP Shipping’s Palau-flagged tanker Divine Power is accused of shipping fuel oil to the UAE and engaging in ship-to-ship transfers with previously sanctioned vessels.
The sanctions also cover Hezbollah-related LPG shipments, including those managed by Hong Kong-based Kai Heng Long Global Energy and its four VLGCs. These ships, used by the Hezbollah-controlled Talaqi Group, were involved in transferring Iranian LPG to China.
The Treasury’s actions freeze US assets of the targeted entities and restrict American dealings with them. Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley Smith emphasized that the sanctions aim to disrupt Iran’s funding of regional terrorist groups like Hezbollah and the Houthis.
