Pakistan pursues Iran diplomacy as Houthi-Saudi war escalates

September 11, 2026 at 07:07 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held phone calls Thursday night with Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. The calls capped a week in which Houthi strikes wounded 73 people in Saudi Arabia and the group seized Yemen's Red Sea coast. Pakistan's Foreign Office declined to confirm reports it passed a Saudi warning to Iran, but did not deny outreach to the Houthis through Tehran.

Key Facts

Houthi drones and missiles wounded 73 people and set oil facilities ablaze in four Saudi cities on Tuesday, according to the Saudi-led coalition.
Iran-backed Houthi fighters seized all of Yemen's Red Sea coast by Friday morning, including the Bab al-Mandeb strait islands.
Brent crude surpassed $107 a barrel on Friday as the Houthi advance raised fears for Saudi Arabia's two main export routes.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned earlier this week that the mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye would be activated if fighting spilled further into the kingdom.
Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan declined to confirm reports that Islamabad passed a Saudi warning to Iran, calling them 'unsubstantiated'.

Diplomatic Calls

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone Thursday night with Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. The calls came after Houthi drones and missiles wounded 73 people and set oil facilities ablaze in four Saudi cities on Tuesday. Analysts say the question is not whether Pakistan is preparing to act, but whether diplomacy is the course Islamabad has already chosen.

Houthi Advance

Iran-backed Houthi fighters reached the coastal town of Mocha at dawn on Thursday and pushed offshore to seize nearby islands. By Friday morning, they had grabbed control of all of Yemen's Red Sea coast, and Yemeni government officials said fighters also reached Dhubab on the Bab al-Mandeb coast. Boats carrying Houthi fighters reached Mayyun Island at the heart of the strait after government forces withdrew. There has been no official announcement by Houthi authorities confirming control of the strait.

Pakistan's Position

At the Pakistani Foreign Office's weekly briefing on Thursday, spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan declined to confirm recent reports that Islamabad had passed a Saudi warning to Iran to rein in the Houthis, calling them 'unsubstantiated'. He was equally dismissive of a claim that Saudi Arabia had asked Pakistan to strike Houthi positions in Yemen, calling it 'hypothetical' with 'no discussion of this kind'. But when asked whether Pakistan was reaching out to the Houthis through Iran, Khan did not deny it.