Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it has notified the Iranian military attaché, his assistant, and three other members of the mission that they must leave the Kingdom within 24 hours. They have been declared persona non grata. This move represents a new diplomatic escalation in the confrontation with Tehran.
The ministry affirmed that the Kingdom “will not hesitate to take all necessary measures to preserve its sovereignty, safeguard its security, and protect its territory.” This indicates Riyadh’s commitment to maintaining additional options. Furthermore, it signals a willingness to respond to threats targeting its national security.
The Saudi decision comes after a period of escalating tensions. Riyadh had summoned the Iranian ambassador on March 1, 2026, in response to what it described as “blatant attacks” targeting the Kingdom and several other countries in the region. Subsequent joint statements strongly condemned Iranian missile and drone attacks against sovereign territories in the Gulf and the wider region.
In the same regional context, Qatar had declared on March 18, 2026, that the Iranian military attache and security attache, along with all staff at the two attaché offices, were persona non grata and ordered them to leave the country within 24 hours. This was a similar step in terms of wording and diplomatic procedure.
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In terms of precedent, Saudi Arabia itself severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016. It gave members of the Iranian mission 48 hours to leave the Kingdom after attacks on its embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. During the same crisis, Bahrain announced it was cutting ties with Iran and gave Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave. Somalia also severed relations and gave Iranian diplomats 72 hours to depart. In addition, Djibouti and Sudan likewise cut ties with Tehran. Meanwhile, the UAE downgraded its diplomatic representation instead of expelling its diplomats entirely.
