Pakistan has warned Iran to rein in its Yemeni Houthi allies as attacks on Saudi Arabia escalate, according to an international media report, with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif saying that the defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye would become operational if the kingdom’s borders were violated.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Wednesday that Saudi warplanes had carried out 54 airstrikes across various Yemeni provinces over the previous 12 hours. He said that the strikes would “not go unanswered and unpunished”.
Saudi, Pakistani and Iranian sources told an international media outlet that Pakistan had conveyed a Saudi warning to Iran, urging Tehran to use its influence to stop Houthi attacks on the kingdom.
A senior regional diplomat said that Islamabad delivered the message to Iran over the past 24 hours, while a senior Iranian official confirmed that Pakistan had conveyed it to Tehran on Tuesday. The Iranian official said that Tehran’s response was that “Iran does not control the Houthis.”
However, two Iranian sources said that Tehran had instructed the Houthis last week to attack Saudi Arabia, promising additional funding and weapons. They also said that several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders had travelled to Yemen to help coordinate the attacks.
Pakistan’s intervention comes as the escalating conflict threatens to widen beyond Yemen and Saudi Arabia, while Iran and the United States (US) continue attacks on shipping in the Gulf region.
The regional diplomat said that Islamabad was seeking to restrain the Houthis before the situation reached a point where Riyadh could ask Pakistan to take a more active role in its defence.
Defence sources said that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye had decided that their forces will not enter Yemen. Any defensive or retaliatory action would instead take place from Saudi territory.
The Pakistani military’s role would remain limited to defence within Saudi territory, including military, technical, ground and air support. Pakistani forces will not take part in offensive combat operations on foreign soil.
Meanwhile, speaking to a news channel, Khawaja Asif said that any aggression against one of the three countries would be considered aggression against all three.
He said there was “no ambiguity or doubt” that the agreement would become fully operational if aggression or the scope of the war extended to Saudi Arabia.
“An aggression on one country will be considered an aggression on all three countries,” Asif said
The warning followed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, when the group targeted an airbase in Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in nearby cities, wounding 73 people. The attacks were among the biggest against Saudi Arabia since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February.
