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Yemen's Houthis sanction 13 U.S. oil firms, including

Exxon

Mobil ( XOM ), Chevron ( CVX ), ConocoPhillips ( COP )

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Sanctions list also includes company CEOs

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Unclear if sanctions mean targeting vessels, analyst says

By Lisa Baertlein

LOS ANGELES, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthis will

target U.S. oil majors including ExxonMobil ( XOM ) and Chevron ( CVX )

with sanctions, a body affiliated with the Iran-backed

militia said on Tuesday.

The Sanaa-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center

(HOCC), a body set up last year to liaise between Houthi forces

and commercial shipping operators, sanctioned 13 U.S. companies,

nine executives and two vessels, HOCC said.

The sanctions are in retaliation for U.S. sanctions imposed

on the Houthis this year despite a truce agreement with the

Trump administration in which the Yemeni group agreed to stop

attacking U.S.-linked ships in the Red Sea and the wider Gulf of

Aden, HOCC said.

"It remains unclear whether these sanctions signal that the

Houthis will begin targeting vessels linked to the sanctioned

organizations, companies, and individuals - a move that would

risk violating the ceasefire agreement with the Trump

administration, facilitated by Oman," independent Middle East

analyst Mohammed Albasha said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday.

The Houthis since 2023 have launched numerous assaults on

vessels in the Red Sea that they deem to be linked with Israel

in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's

war on Gaza.

That campaign has had little effect on vital oil tanker

traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which is located between

Oman and Iran and connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of

Oman and the Arabian Sea, according to the U.S. Energy

Information Administration.

The Houthis have occasionally attacked ships in the Gulf of

Aden, which flows into the Arabian Sea.

This week, a Houthi-style attack on a Dutch cargo ship in

the Gulf of Aden injured two crew and left the vessel ablaze and

adrift. The rebels have not claimed responsibility.

Last year, the U.S. imported about 500,000 barrels per day

of crude and condensate from Gulf countries through the Strait

of Hormuz, according to the EIA. That represents about 7% of

total U.S. crude oil and condensate imports - the lowest level

in nearly 40 years due to increased domestic production and

Canadian imports, the agency said.

"Why now? The Houthis say this action is taken under the

principle of reciprocity, a response to U.S. sanctions - despite

Oman's May 6, 2025, announcement of a de-escalation and

ceasefire between the U.S. and them," analyst Albasha wrote.

The Houthi statement, Albasha added, also said "the ultimate

goal of these sanctions is not punishment for its own sake, but

to bring about a positive change in behavior."