Brian E. Nelson, a top official at the Treasury, says they're committed to stopping the Houthis and the IRGC-QF from dodging sanctions and backing terrorism. The US will also go after financial institutions that put innocent people and global trade at risk.
These sanctions come after a sneaky transfer of goods between Lady Sofia and another ship, MEHLE, on January 31. MEHLE had already been sanctioned and apparently used a trick called "spoofing" to hide its real location and move Iranian goods to Lady Sofia.
MEHLE pretended to be another ship and faked its location while unloading the cargo near Singapore. Lady Sofia is currently on its way to China, loaded up with Iranian goods.
Vishnu Inc. is being targeted for allegedly helping out Sa’id al-Jamal, a money guy for the Houthis who's already been sanctioned by the US.
These sanctions freeze Vishnu Inc.'s assets in the US and stop American citizens and companies from doing business with them. It's all part of the US effort to disrupt financial support for Iranian-backed groups and keep things stable in the Middle East.
