Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia has firmly denied that Tehran carried out a drone strike on the United States embassy in Riyadh, even as multiple governments and international organisations continue to attribute the attack to Iranian forces as the regional conflict enters its fifth day.
Ambassador Alireza Enayati said Iran bore no responsibility for the incident that caused a limited fire and minor material damage to the United States embassy compound in Riyadh on Tuesday, March 3, after two drones struck the building. “We confirmed that Iran has no role in the attack on the US embassy in Riyadh,” Enayati said, adding that if Iran’s military command in Tehran had ordered any strike, it would publicly acknowledge responsibility.
Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry confirmed the attack, saying two drones caused limited fire and minor material damage, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) separately declared its intention to destroy what it called “American political centers” in the region, including the Riyadh embassy. The United States, Saudi Arabia and five other Gulf states issued a joint statement condemning Iran’s indiscriminate missile and drone attacks across the region as unlawful and reckless.
The embassy attack formed part of a broader wave of Iranian strikes across the Gulf region launched in retaliation for the joint United States-Israeli military campaign, codenamed Operation Roaring Lion by Israel and Operation Epic Fury by the United States, which began on February 28. Iranian state television confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in the initial airstrikes on Tehran on Saturday. His successor has not yet been named.
The conflict has killed at least 787 people in Iran according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, along with 52 in Lebanon, 11 in Israel, and six confirmed United States service members. Civilian casualties have also been recorded in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain as Iranian drone and missile strikes have targeted countries hosting American military installations.
Despite the scale of the attacks, Enayati said Iran was not seeking to expand the conflict into a broader regional war. “This is not a regional war and it is not our war. It was imposed on the region,” he said. He also expressed appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s stated position that its airspace, waters and territory would not be used to launch attacks against Iran, describing it as a constructive signal.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry had summoned Enayati earlier this week to formally protest the attacks on the kingdom. Iran and Saudi Arabia had only resumed full diplomatic relations in March 2023 following a Chinese-brokered deal, ending a seven-year rupture that began when Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were attacked during protests over the execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
The widening conflict has severely disrupted global energy markets, closed much of the region’s airspace, and prompted the United States to urge its citizens to leave more than a dozen countries across the Middle East.
