Houthis granting China, Russia safe passage in Red Sea, CENTCOM says
The group is armed by Iran using the revenues from Beijing’s veiled oil purchases.
PATRICK TUCKER | MARCH 21, 2024 05:33 PM ET
China and Russia are supporting the Houthis—and reaping safe passage through international waters that the Iran-backed group have been showering with missiles and drones, the top U.S. military official in the region said Thursday.
“Russia and China have a bye on any movement through the Red Sea,” Gen. Michael Kurilla, who leads U.S. Central Command, told the House Armed Services Committee. “So what you're seeing is Iran is using its proxy to allow access for Russia and and China to go through the Red Sea while blocking access to others.”
That’s one payoff for Beijing’s willingness to purchase Iranian oil despite sanctions on Tehran, Kurilla said.
“Iran is selling 90% of its oil–and that is the largest part of their GDP, is oil” to China, he said.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2024/03/houthis-granting-china-russia-safe-passage-red-sea-centcom-says/395143/
