China’s Request to Iran Regarding Houthi Attacks

Following a failed bid for support within BRICS and from China, Iran received a private message from Beijing urging them to control the Houthi rebels in Yemen. These insurgents have been attacking Saudi Arabia and trying to disrupt shipping through the Bab el Mandeb Strait.

According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia appealed to China for assistance against the Houthi aggression. In response, China requested that Iran restrain the Houthis to prevent further escalation that could endanger vital shipping routes, crucial for China’s significant oil needs.

The details of how this request was communicated remain unclear, but it’s speculated that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi may have discussed it directly with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during his visit to Beijing.

During that meeting, Wang urged Araghchi to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and to adhere to a Memorandum of Understanding arranged by Pakistan between the U.S. and Iran in June.

Araghchi’s visit coincided with a recent Houthi drone attack on Mecca, which sparked widespread condemnation from various Muslim countries and organizations.

Sources from Iran mentioned that China did not issue any direct threats about economic pressures if Iran failed to influence the Houthis. Instead, Iran’s response placed blame for regional conflicts primarily on the U.S. and Israel.

As the Chinese Foreign Ministry pointed out, they do not want to see regional tensions spill over further into Yemen and the Red Sea, stressing that instability in the region is detrimental to everyone involved.

In 2023, China facilitated a diplomatic agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which was viewed as a significant achievement for Beijing, seeking to position itself as a critical global diplomatic player against the U.S.

China’s strategy also appeared aimed at disrupting the Abraham Accords, an initiative that sought to normalize Saudi-Israel relations, which President Trump has long advocated.

The Saudi response to rumors of potential Accords membership has been clear: they will not join until Israel lays out a plan for Palestinian statehood, a prospect that feels highly unlikely following the brutal Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which ignited the Gaza War.

While China has occasionally positioned itself as a peace broker amid the U.S.-Israel-Iran tensions, its influence has been limited. With Iran’s aggressive tactics in the Strait of Hormuz affecting China’s oil supply, Beijing has previously urged Iran to return to the agreements made in June, especially after Iran resumed attacks on civilian vessels.

As Iran and China maintain a significant trading partnership, there’s ongoing curiosity about when China might leverage its influence to urge a closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, the situation has escalated with Iran encouraging the Houthis to attack Saudi Arabia, posing a new risk to China’s oil supply chain.

Some observers speculated that China’s recent diplomatic moves, including inviting Araghchi to Beijing shortly after the BRICS summit, were messages directed at President Trump. However, China’s primary focus has been on reducing hostilities and ensuring safe shipping routes; they offered little more support to Iran and did not alleviate the U.S.-imposed blockade on Iranian ports.

On the other hand, Iran remained resistant to both public and private pressure from Beijing, doing little to mollify the situation with the Houthis or to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

During discussions, Araghchi maintained that Iran cherishes its longstanding partnership with China and suggested possible alignment with Iran’s regional peace principles, despite no public endorsement from China on those principles.

Moreover, reports indicated that Saudi Arabia has reached out to Oman for their assistance in communicating with the Houthis about a possible two-week ceasefire. This hypothetical ceasefire would center around humanitarian issues, including calls for lifting the naval blockade of Yemen.

Oman has historically attempted to mediate the protracted Yemeni civil conflict and shares a unique relationship with Iran, which often suggests imminent agreements regarding the Strait of Hormuz. However, while Oman doesn’t publicly contradict Iran’s claims, it has yet to formalize any such agreements and has allowed numerous vessels to pass safely through its waters under U.S. protection.

If China plans on taking a firmer stance with Iran, they might wait until the scheduled meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Trump later this month. Xi may favor negotiating economic gains with the U.S. first before demanding more decisive action from Tehran, though the urgency of maintaining China’s oil imports could prompt quicker action.

President Trump has indicated he is nearing a decision regarding a potential resumption of military actions against Iran, which could also exert pressure on China. He suggested that his decision might follow a meeting with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman during the upcoming U.N. General Assembly, hinting at a keen interest in their current situations, especially considering that Saudi Arabia’s circumstances are less than ideal right now.