Saudi Arabia Expels Iranian Military Attaché and Staff Amid Escalating Regional Tensions

Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has ordered Iranian military attachés and embassy staff to leave the country within 24 hours, citing continuous Iranian attacks on its territory. The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Saturday declaring the Iranian embassy's military attaché, assistant military attaché, and three other staff members as persona non grata.

Saudi Arabia has taken this harsh decision while Iran is engaged in conflict with the United States and Israel. Recently, Iran has increased deadly attacks targeting civilian centers and energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries hosting US military bases. These attacks have caused instability in the global energy market and significant turmoil across the region.

Since the war began, Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones against Saudi Arabia, home to the world's second-largest crude oil reserves. However, according to Saudi officials, most of these attacks have been thwarted mid-flight.

Energy centers in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province and the capital, Riyadh, have been targeted repeatedly. Earlier this month, two drones also struck the US Embassy in Riyadh.

Most recently, on Thursday, oil transport was disrupted after a drone crashed near the Aramco-SABIC Refinery (SAMREF) at the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea. This route is the only alternative for oil exports for Saudi Arabia after Iran created disruptions to tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Previously, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud had stated that trust in Iran had completely eroded and that Saudi Arabia reserved the right to defend its country. The Foreign Minister also warned that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations possess significant military capability to retaliate if necessary.

Although efforts were made to improve relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran three years ago through Chinese mediation, the recent conflict has plunged those efforts back into crisis. The Saudi Ministry made it clear that if Iranian attacks do not cease, the consequences will be more severe and will greatly affect future relations.

Just a few days before this decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar also decided to expel military and security attachés from the Iranian embassy in Doha.