Saudi Arabia Expels 5 Iran Embassy Staff
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Saudi Arabia declared Iran's military attaché, his assistant, and three other embassy staff members persona non grata, ordering them to leave the kingdom within 24 hours, the Saudi Foreign Ministry announced on March 21, 2026.
- The Saudi Foreign Ministry cited continued Iranian attacks on Saudi territory as the justification, warning that further attacks would lead to escalation and 'significant consequences' for current and future relations.
- Saudi Arabia has come under attack by hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, the vast majority of which authorities say were intercepted.
- Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister said on March 18, 2026, that the kingdom reserved the right to act militarily against Iran and that any trust with Tehran had been shattered by recent attacks.
- Saudi-Iran diplomatic ties, re-established in 2023 after years of backing opposing regional factions, have now deteriorated to active expulsion of diplomatic personnel.
- The broader conflict has disrupted oil and natural gas exports from West Asia and forced production stoppages, according to the source.
Why it matters: The expulsion marks the collapse of the 2023 Saudi-Iran rapprochement, with Riyadh now openly reserving the right to strike Tehran militarily — a dramatic reversal from a kingdom that had prioritized de-escalation. With West Asian oil and gas exports already disrupted, the diplomatic breakdown narrows off-ramps for the wider conflict.
