Hello, my friends. I hope you are all doing well. I hope you are safe and your loved ones are safe too. Today I want to explain a big story from the Middle East in very simple words.
Two big countries, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are arguing about the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia says Iran is behind the attacks. Iran says this is not true. Iran has now offered to help bring peace. Let me explain what each side is saying.
First, some background
For the last few weeks, Yemen’s Houthi group has attacked targets inside Saudi Arabia. These attacks have also hit airports and oil facilities. The deadliest attack hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Many people were killed and hundreds were hurt. This was one of the worst attacks in Saudi Arabia in more than ten years.
The Houthis have also attacked the airport in Abha, in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. Three people died there, and 28 were hurt.
Saudi Arabia leads a coalition that is fighting the Houthis in Yemen. This war started in 2015. So the fighting is not new. But the recent attacks on Saudi cities are bigger and more deadly than before.
What Saudi Arabia says
A Saudi foreign ministry official, Dr Rayed Krimly, spoke to reporters this week. He blamed Iran clearly, saying Iran continues to arm, train, and support the Houthi group. According to him, this breaks United Nations Security Council rules.
His exact claim is that the recent wave of Houthi attacks was “encouraged by Iran.” In other words, Saudi Arabia believes Iran is pushing the Houthis to attack.
The coalition’s spokesperson, Turki al-Maliki, gave numbers. He said the Houthis tried to attack dozens of airports, ports, and oil facilities across Saudi Arabia. He said there were 20 attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh this month alone. These attacks killed 17 people and injured 333.
The spokesperson also said the coalition has destroyed 127 weapons storage sites and launch platforms in Yemen. He said the Houthis are using advanced weapons like ballistic missiles and drones, and that they got help from regional actors to get this technology.
Saudi Arabia also said the Houthis rejected its offer for peace talks in Oman.
What Iran says
Iran strongly rejects all of this. In response, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, spoke to reporters on Friday. He said Iran had nothing to do with the Houthi attacks.
He said Iran is ready to use its diplomatic power to help end the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The words he used were “good offices,” which means Iran is willing to help both sides talk to each other. However, he added one condition: both sides must ask for Iran’s help.
Baghaei said disputes should be solved through dialogue and diplomacy, not war. He also called for respect for Yemen’s sovereignty and an end to the blockade of Yemen.
He also rejected the claim by the Saudi official that Iran encouraged Yemenis to attack Saudi Arabia.
Interestingly, Baghaei said that more fighting will only help Israel in the region. He said Iran does not want war to continue between two Islamic countries.
This offer came after a phone call between the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and his Saudi counterpart late on Sunday.
What about the United States
Meanwhile, the United States is watching this closely. The US embassy in Riyadh has asked American citizens to follow Saudi civil defence warnings. This shows the US is taking the threat seriously.
US President Donald Trump has said Washington is “considering” joining Saudi Arabia’s campaign against the Houthis. He also said he is thinking about restarting strikes on Iran. The US already gives Saudi Arabia intelligence and military planning help.
Both sides, in short
So let me put it very simply.
According to Saudi Arabia: Iran gives weapons and training to the Houthis. Iran pushed them to attack our airports and oil sites.
Iran says: We did not do this. We want peace and are ready to help both sides talk, if they ask us.
Meanwhile, the Houthis say they are fighting for Yemen and against the Saudi-led coalition. They claim their attacks are a response to the war in Yemen.
These are very different stories. However, the truth is hard to know for sure. What we do know is that ordinary people are suffering on both sides.
Why Pakistanis should care
Now, you may ask: why does this matter for us in Pakistan? There are a few reasons.
First, Pakistan has close ties with Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently met the new Saudi ambassador and strongly condemned the Houthi attacks. Pakistan has said it stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Saudi Arabia.
Second, many Pakistanis live and work in Saudi Arabia. When airports and cities are attacked, their safety matters to us.
Third, if this conflict grows bigger, oil prices can go up. That affects petrol prices in Pakistan too.
You can read our earlier articles on this crisis: Saudi Arabia Intercepts Missiles and Drones and Houthi Missile Attack on Yemen’s Aden Palace.
What happens next
Will Iran’s offer of mediation work? Right now, nobody knows. Saudi Arabia has not accepted the offer. There is no venue, no date, and no plan for talks yet. The offer is only words for now.
The danger is real. If the attacks continue, the war could grow bigger. Also, the US might get more involved.
Still, the hope is simple. Both sides should talk. Ordinary people in Saudi Arabia and Yemen deserve peace.
As always, at Pak Unfiltered, we will keep following this story. We will share both sides fairly, without taking sides.
Sources for this article
This article is based on reports from Dawn, Press TV, AnewZ, and WE News English. For background, you can read about the Yemeni civil war and Iran–Saudi Arabia relations on Wikipedia.
Take care. If you have any question about this story, please ask us. You can reach us anytime through our Contact Us page. We love hearing from you.
