US Secretary of State and Saudi Discuss Iran and Embassy Attack

Washington — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud discussed the situation in Iran and Riyadh’s response to an attack on the US Embassy in Riyadh. ‘The minister expressed gratitude to the Secretary of State for Saudi Arabia’s response to the attack on the US Embassy in Riyadh,’ said the US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott on Wednesday, 4 March. The two sides, he added, also discussed the threat from Iran and other developments in the region. The Saudi Defence Ministry on Tuesday, 3 March, said that two drones had struck the US Embassy in Riyadh, triggering a small fire and causing light damage to the building. In the wake of the drone attack, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said that Riyadh reserved the right to take retaliatory measures in response to Iran’s attack on its territory. On 28 February, the United States and Israel carried out strikes against several targets in Iran, including Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties. Iran then retaliated by attacking Israeli territory as well as US military bases across the Middle East.