Saudi Arabia condemns blatant Iranian aggression, warns Iran attacks will not go unanswered

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has warned it reserves the “full right” to respond to blatant Iranian aggression after a series of drone and missile strikes targeted Riyadh and the Kingdom’s Eastern Province.

The warning came during a late-night Cabinet meeting on Tuesday chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia intercepted a drone attack in targeting its massive Ras Tanura refinery, the defence ministry said, following an earlier hit on the complex along its Gulf coast this week.

“Initial estimates indicate that the attack was carried out by a drone and did not result in any damage,” the ministry said in a statement posted on X

The Cabinet condemned what it described as “blatant Iranian aggression” and reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s solidarity with Gulf states affected by the attacks.

The escalation included a direct drone strike on the US Embassy compound in Riyadh, which Saudi officials said caused a limited fire and minor material damage.

Major General Turki Al Malki, spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, said Saudi air defences intercepted multiple threats, including eight drones targeting Riyadh and Al Kharj early Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said the embassy attack represented a flagrant violation of international law, citing both the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Officials warned that repeated Iranian strikes risk pushing the region toward wider escalation, even as Riyadh has maintained that it has not allowed its territory or airspace to be used to launch attacks on Iran.

The Cabinet also welcomed international support from the United States, Gulf Cooperation Council members, Jordan, the United Kingdom, France and India, all of whom condemned the strikes and affirmed the right of regional states to defend themselves.