U.S. Forces Strike Houthi Fuel Port in Yemen

U.S. forces have conducted strikes on the Houthi-controlled Ras Isa fuel port in Yemen as part of ongoing efforts to curtail the Iran-backed group’s ability to threaten maritime commerce in the Red Sea region.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the strike was specifically aimed at “eliminating this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and depriving them of illegal revenue” that has enabled regional destabilization for over a decade. According to CENTCOM, the Houthi organization has been using fuel resources both as a military asset and as a means of control, with profits from illegal sales directly funding their operations.

“The objective of these strikes was to degrade the economic source of power of the Houthis, who continue to exploit and bring great pain upon their fellow countrymen,” CENTCOM’s statement said. “This strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen, who rightly want to throw off the yoke of Houthi subjugation and live peacefully.”

The military action coincides with new Treasury sanctions against a major Yemeni financial institution supporting Houthi operations. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Thursday said it imposed sanctions on the International Bank of Yemen Y.S.C. (IBY) for its role in providing financial support to Houthi operations. The bank, headquartered in Sana’a, has been facilitating oil purchases for Houthi-associated businesses and helping circumvent sanctions oversight through access to the SWIFT network.

These coordinated actions follow the U.S. State Department’s designation of Ansarallah (the Houthis) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in February 2024 and its subsequent re-designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in March 2025.

The Trump Administration resumed military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen on March 15, 2025, following the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire, marking the beginning of near-continuous military actions against the group in order to restore freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, according to the Pentagon.

“The Houthis, their Iranian masters, and those who knowingly aid and abet their terrorist actions should be put on notice that the world will not accept illicit smuggling of fuel and war material to a terrorist organization,” concluded CENTCOM.

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