Regional Powers Mobilize Against Houthi Threats

The United Arab Emirates considers attacks on Saudi Arabia a direct threat to its own security and economic prosperity, according to Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed. Speaking at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai, Gargash referred to a reported Houthi drone attack aimed at Makkah. The drone was intercepted and destroyed before entering the holy city’s airspace. Gargash also warned about Iran-backed armed groups operating outside formal government control, arguing that such militias destabilize Iran and pose a wider threat to Middle Eastern countries. He said the region’s future prosperity depends heavily on how the conflict involving Iran is resolved and whether trust can be restored afterward. Although the UAE must defend its sovereignty and protect its interests, Gargash said it is also preparing for dialogue with Iran. He argued that relations between the two countries are necessary, but rebuilding trust could take many years because Iran’s attacks affected not only the UAE but Gulf states more broadly. Gargash described Iran’s decision to attack neighboring Gulf countries as a strategic mistake and said Tehran must adopt a different view of the Gulf Co-operation Council. He insisted that attacks must stop before meaningful negotiations about the region’s future can begin. He pointed to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s criticism of the attacks as a constructive signal. Pezeshkian recently met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed at the BRICS summit in New Delhi. Gargash said reasonable voices in Iran could help the region emerge from the crisis and suggested there was an understanding that the parties should eventually turn the page for the benefit of the UAE, Iran and the wider region.

The article examines how far Egypt may go in supporting Saudi Arabia’s efforts to secure the Red Sea after Iran-aligned Houthi rebels expanded their control over Yemen’s Red Sea coast and gained influence near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, the southern gateway to the Suez Canal. The developments have prompted Saudi air attacks in Yemen and repeated Houthi strikes on Saudi oil infrastructure, while threatening Egypt’s Suez Canal revenues, foreign-currency earnings and strategic influence. Analysts describe Egypt and Saudi Arabia as increasingly sharing a view of the Red Sea and surrounding region as one interconnected security space. Their cooperation could include intelligence sharing, maritime surveillance, protection of commercial shipping and broader naval coordination. Egypt is already part of a Saudi-led coalition for Red Sea maritime security, although the coalition has not yet taken military action against the Houthis. The article argues that Cairo is likely to support maritime defense but will avoid becoming deeply involved in Yemen. Egypt’s costly intervention in the North Yemen Civil War during the 1960s remains a warning against direct military entanglement. The countries’ wider strategic alignment also extends to Sudan, Libya, Somalia and the Palestinian issue, with both governments opposing state fragmentation, separatist movements and externally backed militias. However, their regional vision conflicts with that of the United Arab Emirates, particularly over Yemen and Sudan. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have opposed threats to state unity, while Cairo supports Sudan’s government against the Rapid Support Forces, which the UAE has been accused—though it denies it—of supporting. The article presents the relationship as part of a potential new Arab security framework, shaped partly by Riyadh’s reported disappointment with the level of United States support against the Houthis.

China has privately urged Iran to use its influence over Yemen’s Houthi movement to curb the group’s attacks and advances, according to three Iranian sources cited by Reuters. The request reportedly followed an appeal from Saudi Arabia, whose oil exports and shipping routes have become more vulnerable after Houthi forces advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Beijing has publicly called for restraint, dialogue and safe navigation, but its private message apparently reflected concerns about the security of energy routes vital to China. The sources said Iran responded that regional stability depended on ending what it described as the US-Israeli war on Iran. China did not threaten sanctions or other economic consequences if Tehran failed to act. Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said that further escalation in Yemen and the Red Sea was not in any party’s interests and called for respect for national sovereignty, protection of civilian infrastructure and negotiations. China has significant leverage with Iran. It has been Iran’s largest trading partner for more than a decade and purchased more than 80% of Iran’s seaborne oil exports in 2025. At the same time, China relies heavily on Middle Eastern energy and conducts substantial trade with Gulf Cooperation Council states. Analysts said Beijing therefore has an interest in both restraining the Houthis and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which the article says has been effectively shut amid the wider conflict. The Houthi attacks have increased pressure on global energy markets already affected by disruptions in the Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz previously carried about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, while a prolonged closure of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline could affect roughly 4% of global oil supply. Although China brokered the restoration of Iran-Saudi diplomatic ties in 2023, it remains uncertain whether Beijing will attach meaningful consequences to its request or whether Tehran will act on it.

Pakistan has reaffirmed that its recently signed defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye would apply if the territorial integrity or geographical boundaries of any member were attacked. The statement came after Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered the city’s prohibited airspace. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca or any Islamic holy site. Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad would fulfil its obligations under the Mecca defence agreement, but stressed that Pakistan did not need a formal pact to defend Muslim holy sites. Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan likewise confirmed Pakistan’s commitment while declining to disclose when, where, or how military force might be used, citing operational confidentiality. Pakistan’s military has described the trilateral agreement as defensive and intended for collective deterrence, with no regional ambitions. Saudi Arabia has reportedly sought air-defence assistance from France, Britain, Pakistan, and Egypt amid shortages of missile interceptors. However, Pakistani and Turkish officials told the Associated Press that Riyadh had not requested military support in response to the latest escalation. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif nevertheless expressed full support for Saudi Arabia and condemned the reported attack. Islamabad also warned that continued Houthi activity around the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandab posed serious risks to regional security, maritime trade, and Pakistan’s economy. Pakistani officials urged dialogue and diplomacy, while noting that disruptions to routes including the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandab could affect economies across the region. Asif said Pakistan had conveyed Saudi Arabia’s message to Iran and believed Tehran would not deliberately open another front, while distinguishing the Iranian state from non-state groups that may act independently. Türkiye also condemned the Houthi threat and called attention to its implications for global stability.