Updated

Sources say China has been privately urging Iran to use its influence to restrain Houthi rebels in Yemen, following an appeal from Saudi Arabia. Beijing is concerned that escalating Houthi attacks, which have tightened control over the Bab el-Mandeb strait, threaten to disrupt vital shipping routes that China depends on for oil imports. The diplomatic push reflects growing anxiety among major economies about the compounding effects of regional instability—already strained by the Strait of Hormuz blockade—on global oil markets and supply chains. It also underscores Iran's role as a regional power broker whose cooperation is being sought by outside states seeking to contain spillover from the wider conflict.