Saudi Arabia, Qatar expel Iranian diplomats and officials

Saudi Arabia warns it will take “all necessary measures” to protect its people and resources from Iranian aggression.

By World Israel News Staff

The Gulf kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Qatar have expelled Iranian diplomats and officials, citing continued Iranian attacks, including strikes on critical energy infrastructure.

On Saturday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry announced that the “military attaché of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Kingdom, the assistant military attaché and three members of the mission staff” had been declared persona non grata and were given 24 hours to leave the country.

“The Kingdom also affirms that it will not hesitate to take all necessary measures to preserve its sovereignty, safeguard its security, and protect its territory, airspace, citizens, residents, resources, and interests,” the ministry said in a statement posted to its official X account.

Iran’s aggression against its neighbors has strained diplomatic ties across the region and rattled global markets. The latest attacks mark a sharp deterioration in ties between Tehran and Riyadh, just three years after a China-brokered agreement restored diplomatic ties following nearly a decade of severed relations.

“What little trust there was before has completely been shattered,” Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said on Wednesday during a conference with Gulf states addressing Iran’s attacks.

“We’re going to use every lever we have — political, economic, diplomatic and otherwise — to get those attacks to stop,” Prince Faisal said, adding that the repeated strikes are “the clearest signal of how Iran feels about diplomacy… It tries to pressure its neighbors, and that’s not going to work.”

Since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, Tehran has launched repeated attacks on neighboring Gulf nations, arguing that such actions are justified because those countries host U.S. military bases.

However, despite claiming to target military sites, Iran has repeatedly struck airports and other civilian infrastructure, along with oil and energy facilities across the region.

Last week, after Iran attacked a natural gas field in Qatar — the largest in the world — Doha ordered Iranian military and security officials to immediately leave the country.