We got a call here… China asked Tehran to restrain the Houthis — Reuters

China has privately addressed Tehran with a request to help contain the Yemeni Houthis. This happened after k Saudi Arabia has asked Beijing for assistance, according to the British Reuters news agency, citing informed sources in Iran.

The request followed the rapid advance of the Houthis along the coast of the Red Sea and in the area of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, as a result of which Saudi oil exports and shipping were under greater threat. Publicly, China called on the parties to exercise restraint, engage in dialogue and restore the safety of navigation, but its non-public appeal was more specific, sources tell Reuters.

Beijing wants Iran to help prevent the conflict from spreading further to the energy routes on which China depends. The sources, who were briefed on the talks and spoke on condition of anonymity, did not specify how the message was conveyed or whether it was discussed during Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi's visit to China on Wednesday.

At the same time, Chinese representatives were not going to exert economic pressure on Tehran. According to Reuters sources, the Iranian side responded that stability and peace in the region depend on the cessation of US and Israeli aggression.