The U.S. sanctioned “two companies in Hong Kong (PRC) and the United Arab Emirates for shipping Iranian commodities on behalf of the network of Iran-based, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF)-backed Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal”. The U.S. also listed “four vessels as blocked property in which these companies have an interest”. The State Department maintained that “Iran’s financial support to the Houthis has fueled their unrelenting attacks on global commerce in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden… Along with our allies and partners, the U.S. will take available measures to hinder the destabilising activities of the Houthis that threaten navigational rights and freedoms and global maritime trade”.