China Presses Iran to Rein In Houthis After Saudi Request
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Reuters reported that China has privately asked Iran to help rein in the Houthis in Yemen, after Saudi Arabia lodged a complaint with Beijing following the Iran-backed force's rapid military campaign over the past week, citing three Iranian sources familiar with the matter. Riyadh turned to China for help after the Houthis advanced rapidly along the Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, putting Saudi oil exports and shipping increasingly at risk. China has publicly called on all parties to exercise restraint and restore safe shipping lanes, but its private message went further than its public statements, with Beijing wanting Iran to use its influence over the Houthis to prevent the conflict from spilling over into the energy shipping routes that China, as the world's second-largest economy, depends on. The sources said Tehran's response was that regional stability and peace depend on ending the war between the United States and Israel and Iran. China's Foreign Ministry said China does not want to see regional tensions spill over into Yemen and the Red Sea, and called for an end to actions that complicate the situation further. China has been Iran's largest trading partner for more than a decade, and 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 Kpler data. Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said about half of China's oil imports come from the Middle East, and trade between China and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries totals roughly 300 billion dollars a year.