September 18th, 2026: China Is Being Pulled Into Saudi Arabia’s Houthi War & Russia’s Parliamentary Election
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The other thing five.
It's Friday, the eighteenth of September. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Saudi Arabia is turning to China for help as its fight with Iran-backed HOTIS intensifies and its missile defenses are depleted.
Why is Saudi Arabia turning to China for help against the Houthis?
Later in the show, Russia's wartime parliamentary vote gets underway, with Putin's allies dominating the field and the leading anti-war party excluded. I know this is all a bit of a shock, but Putin apparently isn't allowing any opposition. Plus, the U.S. drops Venezuela from its drug control blacklist after more than two decades, and so as Colombia could be next. And in today's Back of the Brief, a major Russian sanctions bill clears the house in the US and now heads to President Trump's desk. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We're keeping a close eye on the escalating conflict between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia, and the Saudis are now turning to Beijing as they look for support to contain a threat that's getting harder to manage.
And as the White House has reportedly rebuffed the Saudis' request for additional assistance. The latest news comes from Reuters, which reports that Saudi Arabia recently appealed directly to China for help dealing with the United States. Dealing with the Houtis. According to three Iranian sources familiar with the discussions, Beijing then privately contacted the Iranian regime and asked them to use their influence to rein in their proxy. Well, that appeal came after the Iranian-backed Houthis made rapid advances along Yemen's Red Sea coast and around the Baba Mendeb Strait, leaving Saudi oil exports and commercial shipping increasingly expensive. Exposed. Now, China has publicly called for restraint and dialogue throughout the latest fighting, but according to Reuters, its private message to Tehran went further.
Beijing specifically wants Iran to use its influence with the Houthis to prevent the fighting from spreading further along the region's critical energy routes, which of course is in China's self-interest.
How is China pressuring Iran to rein in the Houthi proxy?
Now, would it be childish of me to mention that? China, while calling for restraint publicly, has been supporting the Iranian regime with dual use components and the continued purchasing of discounted Iranian oil. Beijing is still Iran's largest trading partner and its biggest oil customer. According to Kepler, Chinese purchases accounted for more than 80% of Iran's seaborne oil exports last year. At the same time, China has enormous economic ties with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states, and roughly half of China's oil imports come from the Middle East. So from Beijing's perspective, despite their support for the Iranian regime, the Houtis situation is becoming a significant problem. The Strait of Hormuz is already effectively close to normal traffic, and now the Houtis are increasing pressure around Baba Mandeb on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.
Those are two of the most important energy choke points in the world, and China depends heavily on both of them. Tehran's response, at least according to the Iranian sources who spoke with Reuters, was essentially that the Khutti problem can't be separated from the wider war. Well, meaning it's not in Iran's interest to tell their proxy group to cease and desist. Iranian officials reportedly told Beijing that peace and stability in the region, yes, of course, because the Iranian regime is all about peace and stability in the region, depend on ending the US-Israeli war against Iran. China, for its part, apparently stopped short of threatening Tehran with economic consequences if it refused to cooperate.
But the fact that Saudi Arabia went to Beijing in the first place tells us something about Riyad's current position. Because the kingdom isn't only looking for diplomatic help, it's also reportedly trying to find more weapons to defend itself. The Associated Press reports that Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors after repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:33
2
Why is Saudi Arabia turning to China for help against the Houthis?
0:33–2:19
3
How is China pressuring Iran to rein in the Houthi proxy?
2:19–5:09
4
What are the implications of Saudi missile‑defense shortages and new weapons requests?
5:09–8:18
5
Why did Saudi Arabia reportedly use a Chinese Dongfeng ballistic missile in Yemen?
8:18–10:22
6
How is Russia’s wartime parliamentary election being shaped by Putin’s allies?
10:22–13:35
7
Which parties are allowed on the ballot and why is the anti‑war Yabloko excluded?
13:35–17:08
8
What does the new U.S. sanctions package targeting Russia include?
17:08–22:44
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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September 17th, 2026: U.S. Destroys Iranian Boats & China Supercharges Cyber Spying
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 16th, 2026: Inside America’s Secret Meeting With the Houthis & Attacks on U.S.-Bound Tankers
September 16th, 2026: Ukraine Launches a New Ground Offensive Against Russia & NATO Faces New Baltic Tensions
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 15th, 2026: U.S. Reveals Orbital Weapons & Military Stockpiles Run Low
September 15th, 2026: Iran’s Government Is Splintering Over the War & China Fears the AI Revolution