Iran's Foreign Ministry denied allegations of an attack targeting Saudi Arabia, moving to quell the issue.
Esmaeil Baghaei, Spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said in a March 5 interview with Saudi state outlet Al Arabiya that "Iran is under illegal attack by the United States and the Zionist regime (Israel)," adding, "recent actions in the Middle East are being carried out within the framework of self-defense."
He said, "Iran harbors no hostility toward neighboring countries and has no intention of attacking them," asserting that "the claim that Saudi Arabia was attacked is baseless." He emphasized that Iran's attacks were aimed only at U.S. military bases in the Middle East.
However, under the pretext of retaliating for U.S.-Israeli attacks, Iran has continued strikes not only on Israel but also on U.S. assets in the Middle East, and in the process even Gulf countries have fallen within the strike range.
Since Feb. 28, when the clashes between the two sides began, the Ras Tanura complex, which houses Saudi state oil company Aramco's refining facilities, has been hit by two drone attacks that caused fires. Two drones also struck the building of the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia, and missiles were reported to have flown to the Prince Sultan Air Base and the U.S. garrison base at Riyadh Airport.
Gulf countries are not allies of Iran, but they have mediated conflicts with the United States and urged Washington to refrain from military action against Iran to ensure stable crude exports. However, as the airstrikes continue, momentum is growing for considering a military response against Iran.
Accordingly, Iran's government and military are actively offering explanations through the media and social media (SNS), saying Gulf countries are not military targets.