Saudi-Houthi Conflict: Pakistan Struggles to Balance Ties Between Riyadh and Tehran

The Defense Pact Under Fire

The unfolding military engagement marks the first major test of the mutual defense alliance signed last month between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, which builds upon a pre-existing pact between Islamabad and Riyadh. Under the terms of this security arrangement, an armed attack on any of the member nations is classified as an attack on all. Pakistani officials, speaking to Reuters in July, noted that local soldiers are deployed near the Saudi border with Yemen, significantly increasing their direct exposure to the combat.

Defense agreements with Gulf nations remain a foundational pillar of Pakistan’s economic strategy aimed at lifting its fledgling economy out of years of crisis. These military pacts frequently run parallel to extensive discussions regarding Gulf state investments. However, the geographic reality of trade lanes complicates this financial alignment. Pakistan heavily relies on oil and gas imports transported through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea—maritime choke points that both Iran and the Houthi movement have demonstrated an operational capability to disrupt.

Diplomatic Balancing Act and Warnings to Iran

Pakistan is actively working to prevent a broader regional war before hostilities expand further. According to Saudi, Pakistani, and Iranian sources cited by Reuters, Islamabad delivered a direct Saudi warning this week urging Iran to rein in its Yemeni Houthi allies. Furthermore, Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir held a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi to discuss diplomatic avenues for de-escalation.

Publicly, Iranian officials have expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s mediation efforts. Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan stated during a briefing that no military response to the Houthi attacks is currently under consideration, emphasizing that Islamabad consistently opposes escalation and advocates for dialogue. In private, however, three Iranian sources told Reuters that while Pakistan’s intentions are sound, Tehran questions whether Islamabad possesses the leverage or the negotiation experience typical of mediators like Qatar.

Regional Recalibration and Strategic Limits

The mounting friction is forcing Islamabad to reassess the limits of its foreign entanglements. Following the initial defense pact signed with Saudi Arabia last year, Kuwait pursued a nearly identical security arrangement, according to four sources familiar with the diplomatic talks. Wary of deepening military ties with another Gulf nation vulnerable to regional bombardment, Pakistani officials successfully scaled back those discussions.

The two states ultimately signed a much narrower protocol covering training, border security, and capacity-building rather than a comprehensive mutual defense treaty.

As diplomatic channels remain strained, Islamabad must carefully weigh its security obligations to Riyadh against its vital economic and energy dependencies on Tehran, maintaining a precarious neutrality as the conflict in Yemen deepens.