Since the outbreak of the US-Iran conflict, Pakistan has played an important mediating role. However, the recent mutual attacks between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's "Ansar Allah" (Houthi Movement) have placed Pakistan at great risk of being drawn into the conflict. Pakistan has solemnly conveyed to Iran that any attack on Saudi Arabia will be regarded as an attack on Pakistan—this is Pakistan's red line.
Yemen's "Ansar Allah" is an ally of Iran.
Reuters quoted Pakistani officials as saying that both the Pakistani government and military leaders have conveyed their red-line stance to Iran's top leadership.
The report said that since the outbreak of the US-Iran conflict, Pakistan has rarely been so close to being forced to choose sides. Pakistani security analyst Rana said that Pakistan did not expect the tensions to escalate so suddenly.
According to the joint strategic defense agreement signed by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in September 2025, any attack by a third party against either country will be regarded as "an act of aggression against both countries." On the 13th of this month, Yemen's "Ansar Allah," citing a Saudi airstrike on Sanaa International Airport controlled by them, launched missiles and drones at Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia. This was the most serious conflict between the two sides since 2022.
The aforementioned clash is seen as a single incident, but outsiders worry that if fighting between Saudi Arabia and "Ansar Allah" resumes, regional tensions will escalate and the impact of the US-Iran conflict will further spill over.