China privately urges Iran to restrain Houthis after Saudi appeal

China has privately urged Iran to help restrain Yemen's Houthi rebels following an appeal from Saudi Arabia, as the group's recent military advances threaten critical Red Sea shipping lanes, according to three Iranian sources familiar with the matter. The diplomatic move comes after the Houthis made rapid gains along the Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, leaving Saudi oil exports and shipping more exposed. Riyadh turned to Beijing for assistance after the Iran-backed group's military blitz in the past week. While China has publicly called for restraint, dialogue, and the restoration of safe navigation, its private message to Tehran went further, the sources said. Beijing wants Iran to use its influence with the Houthis to help prevent the conflict from spreading further across energy routes on which China, the world's second-largest economy, depends. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not provide details on how the message was delivered or whether it was conveyed during a visit to China on Wednesday by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. They said Tehran's response was that stability and peace in the region depend on ending the U.S.