Washington, March 3, 2021, SPA -- The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on two leaders of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, accused of prolonging the war and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. In a statement issued, The U.S. Treasury Department said that the sanctions included Mansur Al-Sa’adi and Ahmad Ali Ahsan Al-Hamzi, who are responsible for orchestrating attacks by Houthi forces impacting Yemeni civilians, bordering nations, and commercial vessels in international waters. The Treasury Department added that "These actions, which were done to advance the Iranian regime’s destabilizing agenda, have fueled the Yemeni conflict, displacing more than one million people and pushing Yemen to the brink of famine." It pointed out that Mansur Al-Sa’adi, affiliated with the Houthi militia, is the mastermind of the lethal attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea, has received extensive training in Iran, and has also helped smuggle Iranian weapons into Yemen. The Treasury Department indicated that Ahmad Ali Ahsan Al-Hamzi, affiliated with the Houthi militia, has acquired Iranian-made weapons and received training in Iran. According to the U.S. Treasury statement, the Houthi militia have repeatedly dispersed naval mines, which strike vessels irrespective of their civilian or military character, while the Houthi militia led by Ahmed Ali Al-Hamzi have carried out targeted UAV strikes. The statement expressed the United States' condemnation of the destruction of civilian sites by the elements of the Houthi militia, stressing the United States' commitment to promoting accountability of Houthi leadership for their actions, which have contributed to the extraordinary suffering of the Yemeni people. The U.S. Treasury Department statement added that the Iranian regime has intensified this conflict by providing direct financial and materiel assistance to the Houthis, including small arms, missiles, explosives, and UAVs. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)–Qods Force has provided military guidance and training to the Houthis. This support has allowed the Houthis to threaten Yemen’s neighbors and to conduct heinous attacks damaging civilian infrastructure in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The U.S. Treasury Department affirmed that Iranian support of the Houthis has only prolonged Yemen’s civil war and contributed to the widespread suffering of millions of Yemenis in a humanitarian crisis the United Nations called “the worst in the world.” --SPA 01:57 LOCAL TIME 22:57 GMT 0003 www.spa.gov.sa/w1514221