The United States on Friday imposed sanctions targeting shipments of goods funding Iran's Quds Force and the Houthis in Yemen, as Washington ramps up pressure on the Iran-allied Houthis amid attacks on international shipping.

The US Treasury Department said in a statement that it imposed sanctions on a Hong Kong-based company and a UAE-based company that shipped Iranian goods on behalf of the network of a Houthi financial facilitator backed by the Quds Force that is already subject to US sanctions. It also targeted four ships.

The Treasury said that revenues from commodity sales support the Houthis and their attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea.