'No Ambiguity': Pakistan Warns Iran To 'Rein In Houthis' Over Saudi Attacks Or Risk Escalation

Pakistan has warned Iran to rein in its Yemeni Houthi allies after a sharp escalation in attacks on Saudi Arabia, as Islamabad seeks to prevent the conflict from spilling into a wider regional crisis, Saudi, Pakistani and Iranian sources told Reuters.

The warning comes after the Houthis struck an airbase in Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in nearby Saudi cities on Tuesday, injuring 73 people in one of the biggest attacks on the kingdom since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Wednesday that Saudi warplanes had carried out 54 airstrikes across several Yemeni provinces over the previous 12 hours, warning that the strikes would “not go unanswered and unpunished”.

Pakistan Sends Warning To Tehran

A senior regional diplomat

told Reuters that Pakistan conveyed the message to Iran over the past 24 hours, urging Tehran to use its influence to stop Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The message to Tehran is clear: rein in the Houthis or risk turning a proxy conflict into a broader regional security crisis, the sources said.

A senior Iranian official confirmed that Pakistan delivered the message on Tuesday, but said Tehran’s response was that “Iran does not control the Houthis”.

Two Iranian sources, however, told Reuters that Tehran had instructed the Houthis last week to attack Saudi Arabia and had promised additional funding and weapons. They also said several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders had travelled to Yemen to help coordinate the attacks.

Pakistan’s intervention carries added weight because of its defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said any aggression spilling into Saudi Arabia could activate the three-way security arrangement.

“An aggression on one country will be considered an aggression on all three countries,” Asif said on Pakistani television.

“There is no ambiguity or doubt… Unprovoked aggression or spillover… into Saudi Arabia will definitely make this agreement operational,” he added.

Riyadh, Islamabad, Ankara Coordinate

The sources said Pakistan is seeking to contain the escalation before Riyadh is forced to seek a more direct military role from Islamabad.

“Pakistan has an agreement with Saudi Arabia, but I am hopeful the situation will not reach the point where Pakistan has to practically step in,” the regional diplomat told Reuters. “It will pursue a diplomatic solution for now.”

A Pakistani source said Saudi officials had met senior Pakistani and Turkish military representatives in Riyadh to coordinate their response. The three countries agreed that their forces would not enter Yemen and that any response would be launched from Saudi territory.

A second Pakistani source said no decision had been taken to join retaliatory strikes. Pakistan’s military pact with Riyadh was defensive and limited to protecting Saudi territory, the source said, adding that Pakistani forces could provide military, technical, ground or air support inside the kingdom but would not fight on foreign soil.

The escalation risks drawing Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey and other US-aligned states into closer security coordination, the regional diplomat said.

(With inputs from Reuters)