Pakistan Mediates Houthi-Saudi Conflict as Escalation Intensifies
Pakistan's military chief Field Marshal Asim Munir made two phone calls on Thursday night - one to Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and another to Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. The conversations came after the most intense week yet in the Houthi-Saudi conflict, which has seen heavy strikes by the Houthis against Saudi cities.
Houthi drones and missiles wounded 73 people and set oil facilities ablaze in four Saudi cities on Tuesday, according to the Saudi-led coalition. This marked one of the heaviest attacks of the war. Iran-backed Houthi fighters also reached the coastal town of Mocha at dawn on Thursday and pushed offshore to seize nearby islands.
By Friday morning, they had gained control of all of Yemen's Red Sea coast. The advance raised fears that both of Saudi Arabia's main export routes - the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb - could come under pressure at once. Brent crude surpassed $107 a barrel on Friday as a result.
Pakistan has been quietly reaching out to Iran to mediate the conflict, with Munir making his fourth visit to Tehran since April last month. The country's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned earlier this week that Pakistan's mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey 'will definitely' be activated if fighting spills further into the kingdom.
However, analysts say Pakistan may choose diplomacy over military action. Islamabad has maintained a delicate balance between its close ties to Riyadh and its relationship with Tehran. Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan refused to confirm reports of Saudi Arabia asking Pakistan to strike Houthi positions in Yemen, calling it 'hypothetical'.
Despite this, Khan did not deny that Pakistan was reaching out to the Houthis through Iran, stating that Islamabad would 'continue to pursue dialogue and diplomacy for peace and stability in the broader region'. This stance suggests that Pakistan is taking a cautious approach to the conflict, preferring to use its diplomatic channels rather than getting directly involved.