Tehran, Sept. 17 (SANA) China has privately urged Iran to use its influence over Yemen’s Houthis to help prevent further escalation in the Red Sea region, following an appeal from Saudi Arabia after the group’s recent military advances, according to Iranian sources familiar with the matter.
The sources said according to Reuters that Riyadh turned to Beijing after Houthi forces made advances along the Red Sea coast and near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, increasing risks to Saudi oil exports and international shipping routes.
China has publicly called for restraint, dialogue and the restoration of safe navigation, but its private message to Tehran went further, according to the sources. Beijing is seeking to prevent the conflict from spreading across key energy routes on which China, the world’s second-largest economy, relies.
The sources said Tehran responded that regional stability depends on ending what it described as the US-Israeli war against Iran. They added that Chinese officials did not issue explicit threats or indicate plans to impose economic pressure on Tehran over the Houthi issue.
China’s Foreign Ministry told Reuters that Beijing does not want regional tensions to spread further into Yemen and the Red Sea, saying that escalating instability serves no party’s interests.
“China calls for an end to actions that further complicate the situation and urges resolving issues through dialogue and negotiation,” the ministry said.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry and Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Energy routes at center of concern
China has been Iran’s largest trading partner for more than a decade and remains its main oil buyer. Commodities data firm Kpler estimates that Chinese purchases accounted for more than 80% of Iran’s seaborne oil exports in 2025.
A Western diplomat said Beijing is among the few capitals capable of pressuring Tehran over the Houthis, whose military and political ties with Iran have been cited by Western governments and Iranian sources.
Any disruption to shipping through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait could intensify global energy pressures, particularly as tensions continue around the Strait of Hormuz, another major oil transit route.
Analysts say China faces a difficult balance, as it maintains close economic ties with Iran while also relying heavily on stable energy supplies and trade links with Gulf Arab states.
Beijing’s influence and limits
China played a role in restoring diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2023, demonstrating its growing diplomatic presence in the region.
However, analysts say Beijing’s ability to influence Tehran has limits, with Iran balancing economic ties with China against its own strategic and political priorities.
Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said China’s interests in the Middle East extend beyond Iran, noting its reliance on regional energy supplies and trade with Gulf countries.
The key test, analysts say, will be whether Beijing is prepared to use its economic and diplomatic leverage to push Tehran toward restraining Houthi actions and protecting Red Sea navigation.
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