China Presses Iran to Help Rein in Houthis After Saudi Appeal

• China has privately asked Iran to help rein in Yemen’s Houthis, according to three Iranian sources familiar with the matter. The request followed an appeal from Saudi Arabia to Beijing as recent Houthi advances and attacks increased risks to the Kingdom and regional energy infrastructure.
• China has significant economic ties with Iran and the wider region. It accounted for more than 80% of Iran’s seaborne oil exports in 2025, averaging around 1.4Mn barrels per day, while roughly half of China’s oil imports come from the Middle East.
• Saudi Arabia turned to China after the Houthis advanced along the Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, leaving oil exports and shipping more exposed. Beijing wants Iran to use its influence with the Houthis to help prevent the conflict from spreading further across key regional energy routes.
• The escalation is putting pressure on two of the Middle East’s most important energy routes. Only three commercial vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on September 16, down from 12 a day earlier and well below the recent 10-day average of 17. Traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait also eased to 21 vessels from 24.
• Energy markets remain vulnerable despite some easing in oil prices. Brent settled at US$104.82 per barrel and WTI at US$101.91 on September 17, 2026, as markets weighed continued Saudi-Houthi attacks against efforts to restore regional crude flows.
• China’s intervention highlights the growing economic stakes of the conflict for Beijing, given its dependence on Middle Eastern energy supplies. With Hormuz traffic sharply constrained and risks also rising around the Red Sea, China has a clear incentive to encourage de-escalation.

(Source: Reuters)