How the Houthis are Helping Iran Turn Saudi Arabia Into a Pressure Point
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia target infrastructure and investment events in order to press Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to meet Houthi demands in Yemen and to persuade US President Donald Trump to ease the US blockade on Iran, according to Saudi, Iranian and regional sources. The attacks have disrupted Riyadh's flagship oil conference and the Future Investment Initiative, and included strikes on King Khalid International Airport and on Saudi Aramco. A Houthi spokesperson denied the group was acting at Iran's behest, saying its demands centred on longstanding humanitarian issues relating to Saudi Arabia.
Why it matters: The campaign converts Saudi economic exposure into leverage, tying the confrontation to energy security and to the shipping routes running from the Strait of Hormuz to Bab el-Mandeb.