Iran denies attacking US embassy in Riyadh – Ambassador

Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia Alireza Enayati categorically denied on Thursday that his country hit the US embassy in Riyadh this week, after Saudi officials said Iran targeted the compound with drones.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Tehran of launching missile salvos and drone attacks at its territory and warned that the kingdom reserved the right to defend itself, including by retaliating.

Iran had earlier denied attacking the sprawling Ras Tanura refinery — one of the largest in the Middle East — which Riyadh had also accused Tehran of targeting twice with drones.

Enayati added to the denial, saying Iran also had no hand in the targeting of the US embassy that triggered a fire on the compound.

“We confirmed that Iran has no role in the attack on the US embassy in Riyadh,” the ambassador told AFP.

“If the operations command in Tehran attacks somewhere, it takes responsibility for it.”

The war in the Middle East has engulfed the otherwise stable Gulf region as Iran retaliates over US and Israeli strikes that killed its supreme leader, launching strikes at Israel, the wider region and beyond.

At least 13 people have been killed in the Gulf, including seven civilians, since Iran began its attacks on Saturday.

Enayati, however, denied that Iran was waging a regional war as retaliation for the attacks on his country by the US and Israel.

“This is not a regional war and it is not our war. It was imposed on the region,” he told AFP.

Before the outbreak of war, Riyadh had thrown its weight behind diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions between Tehran and Washington and vowed that its airspace and territory would not be allowed to be used for attacks against Iran.

Enayati said Iran remained appreciative of that pledge by the kingdom.

“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 told AFP.

“We welcome and affirm this position.”

After years of enmity, Shia-dominated Iran and Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia resumed relations in March 2023 under a surprise China-brokered deal.

Riyadh severed ties with the Islamic republic in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the northwestern city of Mashhad were attacked during protests after Saudi Arabia executed Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

rs-sar-ds/jsa