Report
Iran weighs leverage and risk as Houthi attacks pressure Saudi Arabia
A Middle East Eye analysis says Houthi attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and Red Sea shipping have strengthened Tehran's regional position while raising the risk of a wider conflict. Iranian officials reportedly offered to mediate with Ansar Allah and called for an end to the Saudi blockade, while a source close to the establishment says the Houthis are not an Iranian proxy.
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According to the report, a senior conservative source said Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Iran met Iranian officials seeking help to rein in Ansar Allah, and that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had signalled readiness to travel to Riyadh, though the trip did not take place. Tehran called for the Saudi blockade to be lifted and offered to mediate, while the source close to the establishment argued that Riyadh and Pakistan were mistaken in treating the Houthis as an Iranian proxy.
Middle East Eye reports that two Houthi attacks on Riyadh's main airport on 10 and 11 October killed at least 13 people and wounded hundreds. After the strikes, Araghchi told his Saudi counterpart by phone that Tehran was ready to help start talks between Riyadh and Ansar Allah. Iranian sources told Reuters that China had privately urged Tehran to rein in the Houthis, the report adds.
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