Saudi Arabia Expels Iranian Diplomats, Gives Them 24 Hours
Geopolitical tensions in the Gulf region are intensifying after the Saudi Arabian government took a hard diplomatic stance against Iran’s military representation. Riyadh has officially ordered several staff members from the Iranian embassy to leave its territory within 24 hours, following a series of ongoing attacks on the kingdom’s territory.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday (21/3/2026) local time stated that Iran’s military attaché, his assistant, and three embassy staff members have been declared persona non grata. They are required to exit the kingdom within one day.
The decision, according to the ministry, was taken in response to what it described as Iran’s continuous attacks on Saudi territory. In its official statement, the ministry emphasised that this action was implemented after considering the deteriorating security situation.
“Iran’s continuous attacks will lead to further escalation and have ‘significant consequences’ for current and future relations,” the ministry stated, as reported by Reuters.
Since the start of the war between the US and Israel against Iran, Saudi authorities have said the kingdom has been the target of hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones. The majority of these projectiles, according to officials, were successfully intercepted by Saudi Arabia’s air defence systems.
However, the intensity of the attacks is still considered to trigger serious concerns about regional stability.
This hard diplomatic move also follows a statement made by the Saudi Foreign Minister last Wednesday. He said the kingdom “has the right to act militarily against Iran” and emphasised that trust between Riyadh and Tehran has “collapsed” due to the latest attacks.
In reality, relations between the two countries had improved after Saudi Arabia and Iran restored diplomatic ties in 2023. This normalisation was an effort to ease tensions after years of hostility, which had previously led them to support opposing political and military factions in various regional conflicts.
However, the US-Israel war against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks on Gulf countries are now shaking that stability once again. The conflict is also directly impacting the global energy sector.
Oil and natural gas exports from the Middle East have been reported as disrupted, while several production facilities have been forced to halt operations.