Pakistan has communicated to Iran that any Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia would be viewed as attacks on Pakistan itself, as this week’s missile strikes on the Kingdom raised alarm in Islamabad.
A Pakistani official said the country’s top civil and military leadership delivered the message to Iran at the highest level, calling any such attacks a firm red line for Pakistan.
Pakistani officials say they have warned Iran that attacks on Saudi Arabia are a “red line” for Pakistan.
Islamabad fears Houthi escalation, rather than direct Iranian action, could draw Pakistani forces into the conflict.
Source: Reuters pic.twitter.com/QLN5mtL2sJ
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Pakistan, a nuclear armed nation that helped broker an interim agreement last month between the U.S. and Iran, signed a mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia last year. Under that agreement, both countries committed to treating any act of aggression against either nation as an attack on both.
The Houthis launched missiles at Saudi Arabia after accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under Houthi control. The exchange broke a four year truce, though it has so far remained limited to a single incident.
Officials, speaking anonymously due to restrictions on public comment, said Pakistan wasn’t expecting tensions to escalate this quickly. Pakistani soldiers stationed near the Saudi, Yemen border add to the country’s direct exposure to the conflict.
Islamabad is also concerned that further escalation from the Houthis could disrupt shipping through the Red Sea, a critical trade route for Pakistan and many other nations. Pakistan’s leadership is currently focused on maintaining balance among all parties involved, but warned that could shift if Houthi attacks expand further within Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan’s defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, announced last September, was widely viewed as a sign that Gulf states are increasingly looking beyond the U.S. for security partnerships. At the same time, Pakistan remains heavily dependent on Middle Eastern oil and gas, and recent tensions around the Strait of Hormuz already disrupted supply routes, prompting emergency measures like early business closures to prevent fuel shortages.
Officials say Pakistan’s mediation between the U.S. and Iran has been driven as much by a need to protect these energy routes as by diplomatic goals, despite ongoing mediation efforts, Pakistan appears closer than ever to facing a difficult choice.
