Posted on 01/17/24
| News Source: i24
The United States on Wednesday morning slapped Yemen’s Ansar Allah, more commonly known as the Houthis, with the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) label.
The sanctions arrived as the Houthis have continually attacked commercial shipping vessels in Red Sea waters and the area since mid-November, having then escalated their attacks despite repeated warnings and recent counterstrikes from the U.S.-led coalition.
“We are taking the action because of the Iranian-backed Houthis’ continued attacks on the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These attacks are clear examples of terrorism in violation of international law and a major threat to global commerce,” a senior official in U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration said. “They jeopardize the delivery of humanitarian assistance.”
The official stated that an ultimate goal of the sanctions, which will go into effect in 30 days, would be “to de-escalate and bring about a positive change in behavior.”
The 30-day implementation window will give the administration an opportunity to “ensure robust humanitarian carve outs are in place, so we actually target the Houthis, not the people of Yemen,” the official added.
The U.S. government will utilize the time to conduct outreach with importers, financial institutions, NGOs, the United Nations and other humanitarian assistance agencies to discuss implementation and the possible need for additional sanctions carve-outs. It will also give the Biden administration some room to maneuver should it see a change from the Houthis.
“I think the 30-day implementation period is not some sort of prediction around what may happen in those 30 days, but instead, a real acknowledgement that we need to do some work to make sure that this designation impacts the Houthis and puts pressure on them while absolutely minimizing potential impact on the people of Yemen,” said the official. “Given the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, which remains the focus for the United States, we wanted to be extra careful.”
The Biden administration will issue five licenses that will authorize transactions related to food, medicine and medical devices, along with fuel, personal remittances, telecommunications and the operation of ports and airports.
A second senior administration official said the designations announced Wednesday aimed to highlight the “malign” activity and isolate the Houthis, and enable coordinated action across the U.S. government and with our international partners.
The sanctions are also designed to deny the targets access to the U.S. financial system, and impose secondary sanctions on the Houthis’ supporters.
But, all three senior administration officials who spoke with reporters ahead of today’s announcement were clear that the administration considered the SDGT labeling part of a broader strategy, and not a solution in and of itself.