Saudi Arabia has declared persona non grata the Iranian military attaché, his assistant and three other employees of the embassy, obliging them to leave the country within 24 hours, the country’s Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry attributed the decision to “Iran’s continued attacks” on the kingdom’s territory. According to the authorities, since the beginning of the war between the US and Israel against Iran, Saudi Arabia has been subjected to hundreds of missile and drone strikes, most of which have been intercepted.
The foreign ministry said in a statement that further attacks from Tehran could escalate and would have “significant consequences” for current and future relations between the countries.
Earlier, the Saudi foreign minister said Riyadh reserved the right to respond militarily and that Iran’s credibility “has been shattered after the latest attacks.”
Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran were restored in 2023 after several years of confrontation during which the sides supported different political and military forces in the region.
The latest escalation, involving the US-Israeli war against Iran as well as Tehran’s strikes on Gulf countries, has already disrupted oil and gas supplies from the Middle East and forced individual businesses to halt production.
Israel and the US have been striking Iran since 28 February. US President Donald Trump has said the aim of the war is to destroy Iran’s military capabilities and prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Iran has been striking Israel and countries in the region that co-operate with the US. At the same time, Axios wrote that the US asked Israel not to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia expels Iran’s military attaché, his aide and three other embassy-MFA officials