US sanctions network helping to get weapons for Houthis
The United States sanctioned an alleged network of financial facilitators, procurement operatives and companies on Wednesday that are getting weapons, dual-use materials and stolen Ukrainian grain to Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, the Treasury Department announced on Wednesday.
Two operatives — brothers who are based in Russia — Afghani businessmen Hushang Ghairat and Sohrab Ghairat, have assisted Sa'id al-Jamal, a senior Houthi financial operative who is backed by the Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in securing commercial shipments in Russia, including arms transfer, the Treasury Department said.
'The Houthis remain reliant on Sa'id al-Jamal and his network to procure critical goods to supply the group's terrorist war machine,' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. 'Today's action underscores our commitment to degrading the Houthis' ability to threaten the region through their destabilizing activities.'
Hushang and Sohrab were able to facilitate at least two shipments, at the request of al-Jamal, of stolen Ukrainian grain from the Crimean Peninsula to Yemen last summer and fall, according to the Treasury Department.
Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the network. In the process, the OFAC identified a minimum of eight digital asset wallets that are used by Houthis, a U.S.- designated terrorist organization, to transfer funds related to the network's efforts.
'The United States is committed to eliminating the Iran-backed Houthis' capabilities and resources to conduct attacks on our servicemembers and naval assets, while ending their ability to threaten the security of the United States and our partners,' State Department's spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement on Wednesday.
Sohrab Ghairat is the general director of three companies that are based in Russia: LLC Sky Frame, LLC Edison, and LLC Kolibri Group, according to the Treasury Department.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dogecoin Jumps 5% as V-Shaped Recovery Shows Rising Demand
Dogecoin {{DOGE}] jumped 4.8% over the past 24 hours, climbing from 18 cents to 19 cents amid renewed bullish momentum and significant trading volume. The rally, marked by a V-shaped recovery from key support levels, is indicative of DOGE's resilience as it attracts attention from both retail and institutional investors. News Background Dogecoin's latest rally comes amid renewed interest in meme coins and growing speculation around a potential DOGE ETF. According to Polymarket data, traders now estimate a 51% chance of SEC approval for a DOGE ETF in 2025, a development that could bring substantial institutional inflows. Meanwhile, Dogecoin's integration with the Coinbase-backed Base network has enhanced its utility in DeFi applications, making it easier for users to engage with the token across multiple platforms. As geopolitical tensions and evolving trade policies continue to roil traditional markets, Dogecoin's role as a speculative asset — and potential hedge — remains in focus. Institutional whale activity, along with sustained interest from high-volume traders, suggests the token could remain a key performer even amid broader market uncertainty. Price Action Dogecoin's rally was highlighted by a dramatic price surge during the 11:00-13:00 window, where volume spiked to 541 million and 589 million units respectively — more than double the average. The surge established a strong high-volume resistance zone at $0.198-$0.199. DOGE's price bounced decisively from $0.194 support, forming a V-shaped recovery pattern with renewed buyer interest. Technical Analysis Recap DOGE climbed from $0.189 to $0.199, a 4.8% gain. Significant volatility occurred during 11:00-13:00 UTC, with volumes of 541 million and 589 million. Resistance established at $0.198-$0.199, with support at $0.189. V-shaped recovery pattern formed in the final hour, with substantial buying interest at $0.194. Volume spikes at 01:56 UTC to 7.2 million and during the final 10 minutes confirmed strong buyer interest. Price established new resistance at $0.196, suggesting potential continuation of the in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NATO summit statement omits Ukraine's entry bid, $40 billion pledge, Bloomberg reports
A one-page draft of a joint declaration for the upcoming NATO summit omits Ukraine's membership aspirations and last year's pledge of over $40 billion in support, Bloomberg reported on June 11 after reviewing the draft. This news signals that, for the first time since 2022, Russia's war against Ukraine will not be the chief focus of the annual NATO meeting, which is taking place on June 24-25 in The Hague. The unusually brief document recognizes Russia as a threat to NATO but not as an aggressor in Ukraine. It also does not mention China, Bloomberg reported. The communique of the 2024 summit in Washington named Beijing as a "decisive enabler" of Russia's war against Ukraine. Last year's gathering also included a declaration that Ukraine's path to NATO is "irreversible" and promised more than $40 billion in additional military aid. This year, the document will solely focus on defense spending, as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes NATO partners to hike the military expenditure benchmark from 2% to 5% of GDP. The final version of the statement can still change, Bloomberg reported. The brevity of the communique and the summit itself, as well as the decreased focus on Ukraine, stems from the effort to avoid conflict between Trump and European allies. In a sharp break from former U.S. President Joe Biden, the Trump administration has not approved any new military aid packages to Ukraine and signaled its intent to reduce assistance for Kyiv in the next year's budget. The U.S. president initially vowed to broker a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow but became increasingly less engaged in the process as the negotiations stalled and Russia only intensified its attacks against Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, NATO allies will pledge to allocate at least 3.5% of GDP to defense needs and 1.5% to protecting infrastructure and civil preparedness by 2032. Member states will also consider counting their contributions to Ukraine as part of the new defense spending targets, the news outlet reported. The summit was preceded by rumors that President Volodymyr Zelensky would not be invited to participate for the first time due to U.S. opposition. Later, the speculations were dispelled after the Dutch media reported that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had invited the Ukrainian leader to attend. Read also: As Russia inches closer to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, new Ukrainian region might soon be at war We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ukraine brings home bodies of 1,212 soldiers killed in war with Russia
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine has brought home the bodies of 1,212 soldiers killed in the war with Russia, the Kyiv officials responsible for exchanging prisoners of war said on Wednesday. In Moscow, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said Ukraine for its part had returned 27 bodies of Russian soldiers. "As a result of the repatriation activities ..., the bodies of 1,212 fallen defenders have been returned to Ukraine," Kyiv's prisoner exchange coordination committee said on the Telegram messaging app. It released photos from the scene showing personnel of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at an undisclosed location, walking past several refrigerated trucks. Some trucks were marked with emblems of "On the Shield," a Ukrainian organisation involved in the retrieval and evacuation of military dead. Kyiv and Moscow reached agreement at their most recent round of talks last week on a large-scale exchange of corpses of war dead, though the deal was marred by wrangling over its implementation. On Sunday, Medinsky said Ukraine had postponed taking the first 1,212 bodies. Russian officials also said that refrigerated trucks loaded with corpses waited for five days at the border before Ukraine accepted them. Ukraine's coordination body said a deal had been reached on repatriating bodies but the date had not been finalised, and accused Russia of unilateral and uncoordinated actions. On June 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia wanted to transfer 6,000 bodies back to Ukraine, but that only about 15% of them had been identified. "We already had a moment once when they transferred bodies to us and were also transferring bodies of Russian dead soldiers," Zelenskiy said at a briefing. The 1,212 bodies will now be transferred to experts of Ukraine's Interior Ministry, law enforcement agencies and the Health Ministry who will try to ascertain their identities as soon as possible, the prisoner exchange coordination body said. On Monday, Russia and Ukraine exchanged dozens of prisoners of war under the age of 25, as well as severely wounded and ill prisoners on Tuesday, in emotional homecoming scenes, the first step in a series of planned swaps that could become the biggest of the war triggered by Russia's 2022 invasion. Russia and Ukraine will exchange more seriously wounded and ill prisoners of war on Thursday, Medinsky said. Fighting has raged on meanwhile with Russia saying on Monday its forces had taken control of more territory in Ukraine's east-central region of Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv saying Moscow had launched its largest drone attack of the war.
