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Pakistan has delivered a warning to Iran, urging Tehran to use its influence to rein in Yemen’s Houthi movement and prevent the conflict from escalating further, according to Saudi, Pakistani and Iranian sources.
The message came after the Houthis launched one of their biggest attacks on Saudi Arabia since the war between Iran and the United States and Israel began in February.
The attack targeted an airbase in Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in nearby areas, injuring 73 people, according to the report.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia had carried out 54 airstrikes across several Yemeni provinces over the previous 12 hours, warning that the attacks would be met with retaliation.
The escalation comes as the wider conflict has already disrupted regional security and energy supplies, with Iran and the United States engaged in their most intense exchange of attacks on vessels in the Gulf since the conflict began.
Pakistan’s warning is considered significant because Islamabad has defence agreements with both Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Pakistani officials have stressed that any military role would be limited to defending Saudi territory.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said, however, that if the conflict spreads into Saudi Arabia, the joint security arrangements involving Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad could be activated.
“Any aggression against one country would be considered aggression against all three,” Asif said in a television interview, adding that any escalation or aggression against Saudi Arabia would trigger the agreement.
A senior regional diplomat said Pakistan conveyed the message to Tehran within the past 24 hours, urging Iran to use its influence to stop further Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
A senior Iranian official confirmed that Pakistan delivered the message on Tuesday but said Tehran’s position was that “Iran does not control the Houthis.”
Two Iranian sources, however, alleged that Tehran had instructed the Houthis last week to attack Saudi Arabia and had promised additional funding and weapons.
They also claimed that several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders travelled to Yemen to help coordinate the attacks.
The regional diplomat said Islamabad was seeking to prevent the crisis from reaching a point where Riyadh would demand a more direct military role from Pakistan.
“Immediately, they will try for a diplomatic solution,” the diplomat said.
Meanwhile, Saudi officials reportedly met senior Pakistani and Turkish military representatives in Riyadh to coordinate their response.
According to a Pakistani source, the three countries agreed that their troops would not enter Yemen and that any response would be conducted from Saudi territory.
A second Pakistani source said no decision had been made on joining any retaliatory operation. The source reiterated that Pakistan’s military agreement with Saudi Arabia is defensive and limited to protecting Saudi territory.
The regional diplomat warned that continued pressure through attacks by Iran and the Houthis could ultimately undermine Tehran’s objectives by encouraging closer security cooperation among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey and other US-aligned countries.
Source: Reuters
