US asks China to reach out to Iran to stop Houthi activity in Red Sea
Washington asked Beijing to urge Iran to “rein in” the Houthis attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea. The Financial Times reports that US officials have repeatedly raised this issue in conversations with Chinese officials.
In particular, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made such a request to the Chinese Foreign Minister. Earlier, Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, asked Beijing to help reduce tensions in the Red Sea. However, there have not yet been any significant signs of assistance to the United States from the PRC.
U.S. officials say there was little evidence China was putting any pressure on Iran to contain the Houthis beyond Beijing's soft statement last week.
- says the publication.
Let us recall that Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are actually Iranian proxies, regularly attack commercial ships traveling to the Red Sea to the Suez Canal. Because of this, the largest shipping operators changed their route, sending ships around Africa. The FT writes that the Houthi attacks have already seriously disrupted global shipping, which could lead to global inflation.
According to statements by the leadership of the groups, unhindered passage into the Red Sea can only Chinese and Russian ships. It is obviously pointless to turn to Washington for help from the Russian Federation. However, the PRC is in no hurry to intervene in the situation.
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