The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions on Friday against Marshall Islands shipping company Vishnu Inc. and its vessel, the LADY SOFIA. The sanctions target their involvement in illicit shipments to China believed to support Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and the Houthi militia.
“We are committed to stopping the IRGC-QF and the Houthis from dodging sanctions and financing terrorism,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury Brian E. Nelson. “The U.S. will target financial sources that threaten innocent people and global trade.”
The sanctions stem from a January 31st ship-to-ship transfer between the LADY SOFIA and the recently sanctioned MEHLE. The MEHLE allegedly used “spoofing” – manipulating its automatic identification system (AIS) to hide its location – to mask the transfer of Iranian goods to the LADY SOFIA. Disguised as a different vessel and broadcasting a false location, the MEHLE offloaded its cargo near Singapore. The LADY SOFIA is currently en route to China with the Iranian goods.
Vishnu Inc. is designated for materially supporting Sa’id al-Jamal, a Houthi financial facilitator previously sanctioned by the U.S. The sanctions freeze any assets belonging to Vishnu Inc. within U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit U.S. citizens and companies from doing business with them.
This action highlights the U.S. commitment to disrupting financial networks that support Iranian-backed groups and maintain stability in the Middle East.
