Saudi Arabia has ordered Iran’s military attaché, his assistant, and three embassy staff members to leave the country within 24 hours after declaring them persona non grata, the foreign ministry announced on Saturday.
The decision, according to officials, follows what the kingdom described as ongoing Iranian attacks on its territory.
Authorities stated that since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28, Saudi Arabia has faced hundreds of missile and drone strikes attributed to Iran, most of which have been successfully intercepted by air defence systems.
On Sunday morning, the Ministry of Defence reported intercepting a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh, while two others landed in uninhabited areas.
In addition, defence forces neutralized a group of drones targeting the eastern region of the country.
In an official statement, the ministry warned that the persistence of such attacks could intensify the conflict and would have “significant consequences” for both current and future relations between the two nations.
Earlier in the week, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan emphasized that the kingdom retains the right to respond militarily to Iran, adding that recent developments have eroded any remaining trust between the two countries.
“What little trust there was before has completely been shattered,” said Prince Faisal bin Farhan. “So when this war eventually ends, in order for there to be any rebuilding of trust, it will take a long time. And I have to tell you, if Iran doesn’t stop … immediately, I think there will be almost nothing that can re-establish that trust.”
The move by Saudi Arabia follows similar actions across the Gulf. Last week, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry expelled Iranian military and security attaches, along with their staff, after attacks caused major damage to the Ras Laffan gas facility. At the onset of the conflict, the United Arab Emirates also shut down its embassy in Tehran and withdrew its personnel in response to strikes on its territory.
Iranian attacks have targeted civilian infrastructure and key oil and gas installations across the Gulf, though most have been intercepted, officials said.
Saudi Arabia and Iran had only recently restored diplomatic relations in 2023, in a bid to ease years of hostility during which both sides supported rival political and military groups in the region.
However, the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, along with Tehran’s retaliatory strikes on neighboring Gulf states, has disrupted energy exports from the Middle East and forced production halts in parts of the region.
