A tanker owned by the Hong Kong-based Kai Heng Long Global Energy Ltd, sanctioned by the United States for conducting trade with the government of Yemen in Sana'a. Photo: Ship Spotting.
By Al-Masirah – Aug 23, 2024
Those who attempt to cover the sun with a sieve are like the United States, following a long series of failures in confronting Yemen on various fronts, particularly in the military sphere. Today’s data reflects a clash with America’s desires and the whims of its aging politics, in an era that no longer aligns with US dominance or Western influence, starting from the African continent and extending through the region and the broader world.
Today, the United States presents a new, fragile sanctions narrative against Yemen, trying to salvage some of its lost prestige after its reputation was tarnished by its failures in Yemen’s regional waters and beyond.
A few days ago, the US Treasury announced sanctions related to Yemen and Lebanon, primarily connected to the Gaza conflict and the occupied Palestinian territories. The sanctions targeted companies and oil transport vessels dealing with Yemen and Lebanon, involving entities from the UAE, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
The US views these sanctions, which are easily circumvented, as an attempt to maintain its presence on the international stage. The global media today highlights the imminent decline of the US as a single, dominant global power, referencing the US-Western confrontations with Yemen at sea and Yemen’s unparalleled success in maintaining the blockade on Israeli ports, challenging US arrogance, and breaking its maritime dominance that has persisted for nearly eighty years since the end of World War II.
The series of US sanctions underscores Washington’s failure to rely on this ineffective policy. Since July 17, the US has imposed a second set of sanctions on entities and ships related to Yemen’s supply of goods and oil products. However, the reality shows an attempt to create a new issue to divert attention from the recent US failures against Yemen.
The US now finds itself unable to express its disappointment except by mobilizing its influential media to fabricate a false narrative of significant presence and impact on global opponents, including Yemen. It substitutes its lack of real power with media influence and deceptive appearances.
In a desperate attempt to influence Yemen’s stance on the Gaza conflict and weaken Yemen’s and Hezbollah’s support for Palestinian resistance in Gaza and the occupied territories, the US Treasury on July 15 named “commercial networks” dealing with the Sana’a government and Hezbollah, including LPG OM-Palau and DIVINE POWER of DP Shipping Limited-Marshall Islands. Other named entities included Hong Kong’s Kai Heng Long Global Energy Ltd, Malaysia’s Transmarine Navigation, UAE’s KDS Shipping Limited, ONX Trading FZE, Dubai Ports Limited, Transmarine, and KFD General Trading, mostly based in the UAE.
It is evident that Washington has yet to grasp the extent of its failure. With the Gaza conflict, the US launched its food program to halt aid to the poor and those affected by the multi-faceted blockade on Yemen imposed by the US, Britain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE over the past nine years. With the reclassification of the Sana’a government as a terrorist entity, Sana’a’s leadership has expressed indifference towards US sanctions, highlighting that US attempts to compel Sana’a to halt attacks on Israeli port vessels in exchange for ignoring the designation of Ansarallah are futile and reflect ignorance of Yemen’s essential support for Gaza, driven by both religious duty and humanitarian principles.
The repeated sanctions and attempts to involve Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in enforcing them, including moves against commercial banks, telecommunications, and transport, reveal the diminishing American options and limitations in trying to break Yemen’s resolve. Sana’a’s decision to halt oil exports to Saudi and UAE mercenaries was a pivotal step in altering the economic dynamics of the comprehensive war against Yemen and its political leadership.
With the US adopting a unilateral approach away from using Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, it highlights the constrained American options in attempting to break Yemen’s will to maintain its blockade on Israeli vessels. Washington’s attempts to impose sanctions and threats contrast with the actual realities, which enhance Sana’a’s position and its resistance. The recent symbolic victories, such as the defeat of the US aircraft carrier Eisenhower by Yemeni forces and the departure of British naval vessels from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, underscore the failure of US and Western attempts to challenge Yemen, which has established sovereignty over the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.
The US sanctions attempt to demonstrate some weakness in Sana’a, but they are ultimately another instance of US deception in a new world that is increasingly aware of the US failures in Yemen. The continuing political sanctions, suspension of peace talks, and designation of the Sana’a government as a terrorist entity since January 18, along with economic sanctions from food programs to banks, are all evidence of US failure. The US would not need to use these measures if it had succeeded militarily.
Economic war will not weaken Yemenis
Economic expert and Deputy Minister of Finance for the Change and Construction government of Yemen, Ahmad Hajar, confirms in an analysis of recent US sanctions and their impact on Yemen that the US administration has exhausted its economic war tools over ten years, despite their negative impact on various aspects of the Yemeni national economy and social life.
He notes, “Washington has resorted to its last economic siege tactics after failing militarily and diplomatically to dissuade Sana’a from supporting Gaza’s population against the global Zionist aggression. Oil derivatives are crucial for most economic activities and essential community services, increasing the suffering of Yemeni people and driving capital flight, which pressures decision-makers, especially amid ongoing peace negotiations.”
Hajar believes that Yemenis’ patience and resilience against the aggression and blockade, coupled with potential alternatives, have mitigated the impact of economic warfare. Key alternatives include boosting economic activities, particularly in agriculture and small projects, reducing imports, and utilizing non-dollar trade options with sympathetic countries like Russia and China, possibly exporting competitive Yemeni goods such as honey, coffee, and some vegetables and fruits.
Despite the recent sanctions mainly targeting UAE vessels, Hajar asserts that “the UAE remains a mere puppet of its US and Israeli masters.” Nevertheless, their actions are unlikely to have a significant impact. The reality suggests optimism for the failure of these sanctions, given the numerous alternatives available to mitigate their expected negative effects.
