China Quietly Pushes Iran to Restrain the Houthis, Sources Say
Beijing pressed Tehran to use its influence over the Houthis as attacks threatened Red Sea shipping and Saudi oil exports, sources said.
- On Wednesday, Beijing privately urged Tehran to rein in Yemen's Houthis following an appeal from Saudi Arabia, citing military activities threatening the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
- Sustained Houthi attacks on Red Sea vessels disrupt Middle East oil-export routes alongside Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, threatening energy security on which China depends heavily.
- Chinese purchases accounted for more than 80% of Iran's seaborne oil exports in 2025, averaging about 1.4 million barrels per day, according to commodities firm Kpler.
- Tehran's response, potentially conveyed during Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi's visit to China on Wednesday, was that regional stability depends on ending the US-Israeli war on Iran.
- Analysts question whether Tehran will prioritize Beijing's demands over its competing strategic, economic, and political interests, leaving the outcome of China's private pressure uncertain.
43 Articles
43 Articles
China asks Iran to rein in Houthis after appeal from Saudi Arabia
China, at the request of Saudi Arabia, has urged Iran to rein in its allies in the Yemen-based Houthis, who have conducted a military blitz that has left Saudi oil exports and shipping exposed. Saudi officials reached out to the Chinese after the Houthis’ rapid advances along the Red Sea coast this month, according to […]
China asked Iran, in private, to help contain the Houthis, a rebel group from Yemen allied to Tehran as part of the "Exe of Resistance", after a call from Saudi Arabia in the midst of the advance of the rebels along the coast of the Red Sea, around the strategic Strait of Bab el-Mandeb. The information was revealed by the agency Reuters, which heard three Iranian sources familiarized with the subject. The appeal to Beijing occurs days after the …
China emerges as Saudi Arabia’s latest lifeline after Trump declines request to fight Houthis threatening vital Red Sea chokepoint
Saudi Arabia has turned to China for help containing Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis after U.S. President Donald Trump declined a request from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for American strikes against the group.
China has discreetly asked Iran to curb Yemen's Houthis who are destroying the Saudi oil market, Reuters has learned from insider sources.
China privately urges Iran to rein in Houthis after Saudi Arabia's request
Saudi Arabia has asked China to press Iran to rein in the Houthis as attacks inside the kingdom intensify. The outreach underscores rising risks to Red Sea shipping and regional energy routes as Washington holds back.
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- 44% of the sources are Center, 43% of the sources lean Right
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