Exclusive-Iran wants ‘serious review’ of Arab Gulf ties, denies role in Saudi oil attacks
By Timour Azhari
RIYADH, March 15 (Reuters) – Iran’s relations with Gulf Arab states will require a “serious review” in light of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and will limit the power of external actors so that the region can prosper, Tehran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia told Reuters on Sunday.
When asked if he was concerned about damage to relations due to the war, Ambassador Alireza Enayati said: “This is a valid question and the answer may be simple. We are neighbors and we cannot do without each other; we will need serious scrutiny.”
“What the region has witnessed in the last fifty years is the result of the exclusionary approach.” [within the region] and excessive dependence on foreign powers,” he called for deeper relations between the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Iraq and Iran.
Gulf Arab states have faced more than 2,000 missile and drone attacks since the war began on February 28, including on US diplomatic missions and military bases, as well as critical Gulf oil infrastructure, ports, airports, hotels, residential and office buildings.
The United Arab Emirates, which normalized relations with Iran’s arch-enemy Israel in 2020, faced the heaviest blow of the attacks. However, all Gulf Arab countries were affected and they all condemned Iran.
Behind the scenes, analysts and regional sources say there is also growing frustration that the United States, their long-time security guarantor, is dragging them into a war they disapprove of but for which they pay a heavy price.
According to the statements of the Saudi defense ministry, attacks in Saudi Arabia were concentrated in the eastern region, where most of the kingdom’s oil is produced, as well as the Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts US forces east of Riyadh, and the Diplomatic Zone at the western edge of the Saudi capital.
Saudi Arabia and Iran restored full diplomatic relations in 2023 after years of hostility against rival political and military factions in the region.
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 strikes on the Shaybah oil field in the desert near the UAE border.
“Iran is not responsible for these attacks. If Iran had carried out these attacks, it would have announced it,” he said. It was not stated who carried out the attacks.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense’s statements did not specify any accusations regarding individual incidents. Enayati said Iran only attacks US and Israeli targets and interests.
Enayati said he was in personal contact with Saudi officials and that relations were “progressing naturally” in many areas. He underlined Saudi cooperation in ensuring the departure of Iranians in the kingdom for religious pilgrimages and providing medical aid to others.
Tehran has been in contact with Riyadh regarding Saudi Arabia’s publicly stated position that its land, sea and air will not be used to attack Iran, he said, without giving details of the discussions.
His message to the Gulf states was that the war was “imposed on us and the region.”
He said that in order to resolve the conflict, the United States and Israel should stop their attacks, regional countries should not get involved, and international guarantees should be provided to prevent their recurrence.
“Only then can we focus on building a prosperous region,” he said.
(Reporting by Timour Azhari, Riyadh, Editing by Gareth Jones)
