Iran Appreciates Saudi Airspace Assurance, Rejects Embassy Strike Claims

Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati

Iran Appreciates Saudi Airspace Assurance, Rejects Embassy Strike Claims

RIYADH — Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, has categorically denied that Tehran was behind a drone attack on the United States embassy in Riyadh, rejecting Saudi accusations and highlighting Tehran’s appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s commitment not to allow its airspace or territory to be used against Iran amid the ongoing Middle East conflict. Speaking to reporters and AFP at the Iranian embassy in Riyadh on Thursday, Enayati reiterated that Iran had no role in the strike on the US embassy, which Saudi officials said involved drones that caused a small fire at the diplomatic compound earlier this week. “We confirmed that Iran has no role in the attack on the US embassy in Riyadh,” the ambassador said. “If the operations command in Tehran attacks somewhere, it takes responsibility for it.”

The embassy incident came amidst a wave of cross‑border tensions following retaliatory strikes by Iran after a series of United States and Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure. Allies of Riyadh, including the United States, have accused Iran of launching missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory, including critical facilities such as the Ras Tanura oil refinery — one of the largest in the region — which Tehran has repeatedly denied. Enayati stressed that Iran appreciates Saudi Arabia’s repeated assurance that its airspace, territorial waters, and soil will not be used against Tehran. “We appreciate what we have repeatedly heard from Saudi Arabia — that it does not allow its airspace, waters, or territory to be used against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.

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Saudi authorities have repeatedly condemned missile and drone attacks targeting their territory, warning that Riyadh reserves the right to defend itself and respond to violations of its sovereignty. Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, Saudi Arabia had backed diplomatic efforts aimed at defusing tensions between Tehran and Washington, but recent developments have seen the Gulf kingdom caught up in the wider regional crisis. In response to the Riyadh embassy incident and earlier allegations involving the Ras Tanura oil facility, Saudi officials publicly condemned the attacks as violations of international norms and threats to regional security and economic stability. Tehran, for its part, has rejected all such claims.

The crisis has engulfed the previously stable Gulf region, with Iran stepping up strikes after joint US‑Israeli operations reportedly killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and damaged strategic sites inside Iran. Tehran’s retaliation has included missile and drone strikes against Israeli and US‑linked targets across the broader Middle East. At least 13 people have been killed in the Gulf region, including seven civilians, since Iran began its offensive, according to regional reports. The cross‑border strikes and counter-strikes have alarmed global markets and heightened fears of a broader conflict.

Despite the escalation, Enayati denied that Iran considers the situation a regional war borne of its own design. “This is not a regional war and it is not our war. It was imposed on the region,” he said, echoing Iran’s longstanding narrative that external pressures and actions have forced Tehran into a defensive posture. International leaders and organisations have expressed deep concern over the rapid escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, with calls for calm and restraint growing louder as civilian casualties mount and tensions rise. Observers warn that continued conflict could further destabilise key global energy arteries, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supplies transit. As diplomatic efforts intensify alongside military developments, Riyadh, Tehran and Washington remain under global scrutiny to manage the crisis and avert a wider conflagration that could draw in multiple regional and international actors.

Iran Appreciates Saudi Airspace Assurance, Rejects Embassy Strike Claims

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