The head of Pakistan's military has asked Tehran to exercise restraint over Houthi rebels in an effort to curb regional escalation, the Financial Times reported. The request seeks to use Iranian influence to limit the group's activities, following similar private pressure exerted by Beijing on the Islamic Republic to maintain stability in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia appealed to China for help after Houthi forces captured Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, three Iranian sources told Reuters. Tehran responded that stability depends on ending the US-Israeli war, while China called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a return to a June memorandum of understanding brokered by Pakistan.