The United States on Tuesday issued a stern warning that any vessels delivering or offloading refined fuel in Houthi-controlled ports, designated as terrorist entities since April 4, 2025, will face "harsh sanctions."

The U.S. Embassy in Yemen released a statement on X, reiterating that the Iran-backed Houthi group remains officially classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States.

The embassy clarified that a vessel being inspected by the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM) does not grant it immunity from U.S. sanctions, particularly for ships, entities, and individuals providing material support to the Houthis.
UNVIM was established at the request of the Yemeni government to facilitate the entry of civilian commercial goods into non-government-controlled ports. The embassy noted that UNVIM's procedures serve the limited purpose of supporting the UN Security Council's sanction regime under Resolution 2216 (2015), emphasizing that these are distinct from other national sanctions systems.

The latest warning follows a U.S. ban on fuel deliveries to Houthi-controlled ports, which took effect on April 5, according to a previous statement from the U.S. Treasury Department.

During the Trump administration's campaign against the Houthis, airstrikes targeted the Houthi-controlled Ras Issa oil port north of Hodeidah, destroying fuel depots in enforcement of a ban.

Despite ongoing U.S. Treasury sanctions, and even after the Trump-era campaign against the Houthis paused following an Oman-brokered agreement where the group pledged not to attack American ships, vessels continued to reach Hodeidah ports.
In recent weeks, Hodeidah's ports have suffered extensive damage from Israeli and American airstrikes. In response, the Houthi group has reportedly resorted to rudimentary methods, directly offloading cargo from ship holds into transport trailers.