China presses Iran to help rein in Houthis after Saudi appeal: Reuters
- 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.
107 Articles
107 Articles
Report: China Pushes Iran to Rein In Houthis, Reopen Strait of Hormuz
After Iran struck out with BRICS and China this week in its search for international support, China reportedly privately told the Iranians to rein in their proxies in Yemen, the Houthi insurgents, who have repeatedly attacked Saudi Arabia and sought to block Saudi shipping through the Bab el Mandeb Strait.
Saudi Arabia's appeal to China and Israel shows how alone the kingdom stands in the escalating conflict with Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
Saudis play telephone to stop the Houthis, South Africans protest against data centers, Australia hopes rugby can stop China in the Pacific
The Saudis ask China for help“Hi, China, it’s Saudi Arabia, could you tell Iran to ask the Houthis to chill out?” That, in so many words, is the current telephone game amid intensifying attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi oil export routes. With the US seemingly unable to contain the regional consequences of its war on Iran, China is seizing the moment. Beijing is Iran’s largest trade partner, but it also has good ties with Riyadh — just…
China has pressured Iran to use its influence on Yemen's Houthis, who are complicating maritime traffic in the Red Sea, where they are blocking Saudi tankers. Riyadh has asked China to get involved in the situation because the offensive by Shiite Yemeni rebels supported by Tehran around the Bab al-Mandab Strait is damaging Saudi oil exports to world markets. As a result, the price of raw materials and, consequently, fuel is rising globally.
Beijing fears, following calls from Saudi Arabia, that escalation in the Red Sea will threaten critical energy and trade routes - Tehran responds that peace in the region requires an end to the war
Saudi Arabia's appeal to China is not solely due to the US refusal to send troops. After the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia diverted approximately 5 million barrels of crude oil, originally intended for loading in the Persian Gulf, to the Red Sea. This effectively placed a new outlet to the sea in waters controlled by the youth movement, making China, which also relies on this route, its only remaining target for influence.
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