Iran praises Saudi Arabia for keeping its airspace out of the US-Israel conflict

Iran’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Alireza Enayati said on Thursday that Tehran appreciates Saudi Arabia’s pledge not to allow its airspace or territory to be used in the ongoing war involving the United States and Israel.

“We appreciate what we have repeatedly heard from Saudi Arabia — that it will not allow its airspace, waters, or territory to be used against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he told AFP.

Before the conflict began, Riyadh had backed diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Tehran and Washington and vowed that its airspace would not be used for attacks against Iran.

Enayati also firmly denied that Iran was responsible for an alleged drone strike on the US embassy in Riyadh earlier this week, after Saudi officials accused Tehran of targeting the compound. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of launching missile and drone attacks on its territory and warned that it reserves the right to defend itself, including through retaliation.

Iran had previously rejected allegations that it targeted the vast Ras Tanura oil refinery — one of the largest in the Middle East — which Riyadh claimed was attacked twice by drones.

Reiterating Tehran’s stance, Enayati said Iran had no involvement in the incident at the US embassy that reportedly triggered a fire at the compound.

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

“If the operations command in Tehran carries out an attack somewhere, it takes responsibility for it.”

The ongoing conflict has drawn the otherwise stable Gulf region into wider tensions as Iran retaliates for US and Israeli strikes that killed its supreme leader, launching attacks on Israel and other locations across the region.

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

However, Enayati rejected the suggestion that Iran was waging a regional war in response to the US and Israeli strikes.

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