China Privately Presses Iran to Rein In Houthis After Saudi Appeal
Beijing has privately asked Tehran to curb the Houthi assault on Saudi Arabia, three Iranian sources told Reuters — Riyadh having appealed directly to China — and was rebuffed: regional stability, Tehran replied, “depends on ending the US-Israeli war on Iran”. Wang Yi met Iran’s foreign minister in Beijing and then spoke to his American counterpart, urging restraint and the reopening of Hormuz: China “does not wish to see regional tensions further spill over into Yemen and the Red Sea”.
China entering the war’s diplomacy is the clearest measure of its stakes: Beijing buys the majority of Gulf crude that still flows, brokered the 2023 Saudi-Iranian détente this war has shredded, and is uniquely positioned — and uniquely reluctant — to spend leverage on Tehran. The rebuff matters as much as the request: Iran telling its largest customer that Houthi restraint is priced in American concessions shows Tehran still believes escalation is its strongest card. For Riyadh, appealing to Beijing after Washington rebuffed pleas for direct military help is itself a message to the White House about where Gulf security shopping goes next. Watch whether Chinese pressure resurfaces publicly at the UN — and whether Iran’s oil discounts to China quietly deepen.