【Iran Behind the Scenes Pressuring Houthis, Who Are Hesitating】

After the Houthis announced their entry into the conflict, they began frequently launching missiles at Israel. Due to the overwhelming number of fronts Israel faces, it has been unable to focus on the Houthis, managing only sporadic counterattacks. However, what drew the most attention from the international community after the Houthis joined the war was whether they would resume attacking Red Sea shipping. What is currently unfolding in the Strait of Hormuz has already severely disrupted the global economy. If the Houthis were to attack ships in the Red Sea again, as they did last year, the global economy would face even greater turmoil.

Notably, over the past period, Saudi Arabia has been exporting oil through Red Sea ports. Should instability emerge in the Red Sea, the energy market would become extremely tense.

According to sources cited by Bloomberg, Iran is pressuring the Houthis to conduct attacks on Red Sea shipping in order to strengthen its leverage against the United States. In addition, the Revolutionary Guard has re-deployed officers to areas controlled by the Houthis.

Yet currently, the Houthis are hesitating, with internal divisions over whether to continue attacking shipping in the Red Sea. Meanwhile, U.S. and Saudi officials have informed European countries that, aside from attacks on Israel, there are no current signs indicating that the Houthis are planning to escalate further.

Bloomberg also highlighted two key points: First, although the Houthis are part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” they do not fully obey Iran’s directives. Iran’s actual influence over them is limited. The reason is simple—unlike Hezbollah or Iraqi Shia militias, which were entirely supported by Iran throughout their development, the Houthis rose to power independently, without Iranian backing.

Second, over the past two years, the Houthis have suffered heavy losses due to repeated airstrikes by the U.S. and Israel, forcing them to carefully weigh their next steps.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1861263412466692/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.