The Iran-backed Houthi insurgents in Yemen have announced so-called “sanctions” against 13 major American oil companies, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Marathon Petroleum. The announcement was made Tuesday through the group’s “Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center,” a front used by the militants to issue threats under the guise of diplomatic language.
These so-called sanctions are widely understood to mean targeted terrorist attacks and acts of maritime piracy. The threats appear to breach a ceasefire agreement previously reached with the Trump administration in May. Under that agreement, the Houthis had committed to pausing attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The announcement followed a missile strike on Monday against a Dutch-flagged cargo ship, the Minervagracht, in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel caught fire, and 19 crew members were evacuated, with two sustaining serious injuries. French military sources identified the Houthis as responsible for the attack, which they later confirmed, citing the ship’s alleged violation of a Houthi-imposed ban on docking in Israeli ports.
The targeted American oil firms were accused of violating a Houthi decree banning U.S. crude oil exports. In addition to naming the companies, the Houthis identified nine U.S. executives and two oil tankers—Seaways San Saba and Seaways Brazos—as direct targets. Both ships are reportedly en route to South America.
The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, are a radical Islamist movement that seized Yemen’s capital of Sanaa in 2014. Their slogan—“Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews”—underscores their extremist ideology. Backed by Iran, the group has used drone and missile strikes to target commercial vessels since the onset of the Gaza conflict in October 2023, often justifying attacks with claims of vague Israeli affiliations.
The U.S. and Israeli militaries responded earlier this year with strikes on Houthi positions along Yemen’s coastline. Following those retaliatory measures, the Houthis temporarily paused attacks on commercial vessels but did not cease hostilities toward Israel.
The Biden administration has remained largely silent on the latest threats, even as the Houthis continue to challenge international norms of maritime law and commercial freedom. President Donald Trump previously stated that “every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of Iran.”
With the Houthis openly threatening American companies and renewing attacks at sea, the fragility of the Red Sea ceasefire is once again in question.
