NextFin News - Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, called for a "serious review" of relations between Tehran and its Gulf Arab neighbors on Sunday, even as he issued a flat denial of Iranian involvement in the devastating wave of missile and drone strikes that have crippled Saudi oil infrastructure over the past two weeks. The diplomatic overture, delivered in an exclusive interview on March 15, 2026, arrives at a moment of extreme regional volatility, with the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain also reporting significant damage to civilian and energy assets from what they describe as direct Iranian aggression.
The disconnect between Tehran’s rhetoric and the reality on the ground is stark. While Enayati insists that relations with Riyadh are "progressing" and that Iran values "good neighborly relations," the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has characterized the recent targeting of the Ras Tanura refinery and the Shaybah oil field as a "flagrant violation of international law." The attacks, which began in late February and intensified through early March, have forced a "precautionary" cut in oil production from Kuwait and led to the temporary closure of Dubai’s international airport. According to Saudi officials, the Kingdom has intercepted dozens of projectiles, yet the sheer volume of the 1,500-strong drone and missile barrage launched by Iranian forces has overwhelmed regional defenses in several key sectors.
Tehran’s strategy appears to be a high-stakes attempt to decouple the Gulf Arab states from their security arrangements with Washington. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokespeople have argued that U.S. military assets stationed in the Gulf are "legitimate targets" under Article 51 of the UN Charter, framing the strikes as a defensive necessity in Iran’s ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel. By striking at the economic heart of the GCC—its oil refineries and transport hubs—Iran is signaling that the cost of hosting American bases under U.S. President Trump’s administration will be paid in local infrastructure. However, this "pressure-cooker" diplomacy is yielding the opposite of its intended effect. Rather than distancing themselves from the U.S., the UAE and Saudi Arabia are moving toward a more formal, integrated regional defense architecture that could permanently alter the Middle Eastern security landscape.
The economic fallout is already being felt across global markets. The UAE has endured nearly 1,000 combined missile and drone attacks since February 28, resulting in casualties and significant damage to the Jebel Ali port. For a region that prides itself on being a safe haven for global capital and tourism, the sight of smoke rising over the Palm Jumeirah and the Burj Al Arab is a catastrophic blow to brand stability. If the "gentlemen’s agreement" of 2019—which saw a period of relative de-escalation—is truly dead, the Gulf states face a binary choice: total capitulation to Iranian regional hegemony or a full-scale military alignment with the West that could lead to a direct, multi-front war.
Riyadh has already warned that Iran will be the "biggest loser" if the escalation continues, pointing to the fact that 70 percent of Iran’s own non-oil trade passes through the very Persian Gulf waters it is currently destabilizing. The irony of Enayati’s call for a "serious review" of ties is that such a review is indeed happening, but not in the way Tehran envisioned. The GCC is currently weighing a collective military response, and with U.S. and Israeli forces already striking IRGC facilities and nuclear sites like Natanz, the window for a diplomatic off-ramp is closing. The "good neighbor" policy Tehran is currently pitching sounds less like an olive branch and more like a demand for silence while the regional order is dismantled by force.
Explore more exclusive insights at nextfin.ai.
