US sanctions five Iranians it links to Revolutionary Guard, Houthi militia in Yemen

Update US sanctions five Iranians it links to Revolutionary Guard, Houthi militia in Yemen
File photo showing Iranian members of parliament protesting US withdrawal from nuclear deal with Tehran. (AFP)
Updated 22 May 2018
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US sanctions five Iranians it links to Revolutionary Guard, Houthi militia in Yemen

US sanctions five Iranians it links to Revolutionary Guard, Houthi militia in Yemen
  • US treasury sanctions 5 Iranians for providing Yemen's Houthi with missile expertise.
  • Iran backed Houthi militia have been targeting Saudi Arabian cities from Yemen.

WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on five Iranians it said had provided Yemen’s Houthis with expertise and weaponry that were 
then used to launch missiles at cities and oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, the US Treasury named the individuals as Mehdi Azarpisheh, Mohammad Jafari, Mahmud Kazemabad, Javad Shir Amin, and Sayyed Mohammad Tehrani. It said the first four individuals had worked with the Houthis through Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, while Tehrani had helped with the financing of the Revolutionary Guard.
The fresh sanctions, part of President Donald Trump’s pledge to economically suffocate Iran in hopes of hampering the country’s development of nuclear weapons, come one day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would soon crack down on Iran’s support for the Houthis. Yemen’s government has been pitched against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement since 2015 in a war driving the country to the verge of famine.