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Escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia could force the world to rethink Iran
The Iran-backed Houthis’ escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia could soon drag the United States directly into the conflict.
The tripwires are clear: a major strike on Riyadh or Saudi oil infrastructure, American casualties, attacks on U.S. assets, or further disruption to global energy supplies.
And the pressure is coming from multiple directions. Saudi Arabia says attacks have also originated from Iraq, where powerful Iran-backed militias operate.
Hormuz is already disrupted. Saudi energy infrastructure has come under attack from the Iraqi direction. The Iran-backed Houthis are now targeting deeper into Saudi Arabia and threatening Yanbu and the critical Red Sea oil route.
The Islamic Republic’s fingerprints are increasingly visible across a multi-front campaign threatening regional security and global energy flows.
Meanwhile, Turkey says it is prepared to help meet Saudi military needs, while Pakistan faces growing pressure to act under their collective-defence pact.
For years, regional governments prioritized containing the Islamic Republic while avoiding its collapse, fearing the instability that could follow and benefitting from a weak Iranian state.
But that calculation could change.
If Iran-backed forces continue threatening capitals, oil infrastructure, shipping and the global economy, more regional governments may conclude that containing the Islamic Republic is no longer enough and begin viewing fundamental political change in Iran as preferable to preserving the existing regime.