Saudi Arabia in March 2026: the most important developments in politics
Saudi Arabia's politics in March 2026 revolved around Iranian missile and drone attacks on Gulf states and the kingdom's diplomatic and military response. On 18 and 19 March Arab and Islamic foreign ministers met in Riyadh for emergency talks on regional security. The meeting held Iran responsible for recent attacks and called on it to halt them. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said trust with Iran was 'completely shattered', that the kingdom reserved the right to military action, and that Gulf countries would respond to escalation with escalation. Earlier in the month Saudi Arabia had summoned the Iranian envoy after attacks on Oman.
Riyadh's own role in the war was the subject of conflicting accounts. Reports said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had privately urged Donald Trump to authorise a strike on Iran, and on 16 March The New York Times reported that he was speaking regularly with Trump and urging harsh action. Saudi Arabia called a Washington Post report that it had lobbied for a strike 'categorically false'. Iran's ambassador thanked the kingdom for not allowing its territory to be used in the conflict. Gulf allies complained that the United States gave no advance notice of its attacks on Iran and ignored their warnings. A drone attack hit the US embassy in Riyadh on 3 March and the embassy was closed; on 9 March the United States ordered its embassy staff to leave Saudi Arabia.
Other governments moved toward the kingdom. Pakistan urged Iran not to attack Saudi Arabia, reported 'shuttle communication' between Riyadh and Tehran, and said it would help Saudi Arabia even before it asked. France said it was ready to defend Gulf states, and the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council affirmed the Gulf states' right to defend themselves. Egypt and Saudi Arabia jointly warned of regional 'chaos'.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a weakened Iran could open the door to normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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