- Iran wants a “serious review” of ties with the Gulf, the ambassador in Riyadh said.
- Alireza Enayati did not specify who carried out the attacks in the Kingdom.
- “Iran was only attacking American and Israeli targets and interests.”
RIYADH: Iran’s relations with Gulf countries will require a “serious review” in light of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, limiting the power of external actors so the region can become prosperous, Tehran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia told Reuters on Sunday.
Asked if he was concerned that relations would be affected by the war, Ambassador Alireza Enayati replied: “It is a valid question, and the answer may be simple. We are neighbors and we cannot do without each other; we will need a serious reconsideration.”
“What the region has experienced over the past five decades is the result of an exclusionary approach [within the region] and excessive dependence on external powers,” he said in a written response to questions, calling for deeper ties among the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, with Iraq and Iran.
Gulf Arab states have faced more than 2,000 missile and drone attacks since the war began on February 28, targeting US diplomatic missions and military bases, but also critical Gulf oil infrastructure, ports, airports and hotels.
The United Arab Emirates, which normalized relations with Iran’s arch-enemy Israel in 2020, was worst hit by the attacks. But all the Gulf Arab states were affected and all condemned Iran.
Behind the scenes, analysts and regional sources say there is also growing frustration with the United States, long the guarantor of their security, which is dragging them into a war it did not approve of but for which it is paying a heavy price.
In Saudi Arabia, attacks focused on the eastern region where most of the kingdom’s oil is produced, as well as on the Prince Sultan air base housing US forces east of Riyadh, and on the diplomatic district west of the Saudi capital, according to statements from the Saudi Defense Ministry.
Saudi Arabia and Iran restored full diplomatic relations in 2023 after years of enmity.
Iran ‘not responsible’ for attacks on Saudi oil sector
Enayati denied that Iran was responsible for attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure, including the Ras Tanura refinery on the east coast, and dozens of attempted drone attacks on the Shaybah oil field in the desert near the UAE border.
“Iran is not responsible for these attacks, and if Iran had carried them out, it would have announced it,” he said. He did not specify who carried out the attacks.
Statements from the Saudi Defense Ministry did not attribute responsibility to individual incidents. Enayati said Iran only attacks American and Israeli targets and interests.
Enayati said he was personally in constant contact with Saudi officials, and that relations were “progressing naturally” in many areas. He highlighted Saudi cooperation in departing Iranians who were in the kingdom for a religious pilgrimage and providing medical assistance to others.
He said Tehran was in contact with Riyadh over Saudi Arabia’s publicly stated position that its land, seas and air would not be used to attack Iran, without giving details of the discussions.
His message to the Gulf states was that the war “has been imposed on us and the region.”
To resolve the conflict, the United States and Israel must stop their attacks and regional countries must not be involved, while international guarantees must be obtained to prevent their recurrence, he said.
“Only then can we focus on building a prosperous region,” he said.
