Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia denies attacks on its oil facilities

Alireza Enayati says relations with Saudi Arabia are ‘progressing naturally’ and he’s in direct contact with Saudi officials.Published On 15 Mar 2026Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia denied Tehran is responsible for attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure, saying if it was behind the strikes, it would have announced it.Alireza Enayati did not suggest who carried out the attacks, but added Iran is only attacking United States and Israeli military targets and interests during the ongoing war, Reuters news agency quoted him as saying on Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Trump calls for naval coalition to open Strait of Hormuz: Can it work?list 2 of 4Trump says US may hit Iran’s Kharg Island again ‘just for fun’list 3 of 4How Trump’s unchecked power has changed the worldlist 4 of 4France offers to broker Lebanon-Israel talks: What do we know?end of listAfter the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran at the end of February, Tehran retaliated against US and Israeli military assets, including in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Last week, the Ras Tanura oil refinery was forced to stop operations after debris from a drone caused a small fire. Attempted attacks were also reported on the Shaybah oilfield in the desert near the border with the UAE.So far, Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry has not blamed anyone for the attacks.Enayati said he’s in direct contact with Saudi officials, explaining that relations are “progressing naturally” in many areas.Talks included Saudi Arabia’s publicly stated position that its land, sea, and air would not be used to target Iran. He didn’t elaborate.Iran and Saudi Arabia re-established diplomatic relations in 2023, in a deal brokered by China, that saw the two sides, which backed rival groups across the region, agree on a new chapter in bilateral relations.‘Reliance on external powers’Enayati reiterated to the Gulf states that the war “has been imposed on us and the region” following coordinated US and Israeli attacks.