In the war on Iran, the Gulf is stuck between Iraq and a hard place

https://arab.news/czuhd

Saudis woke up yesterday to two pieces of disturbing news: First, the American Embassy in the Diplomatic Quarter of Riyadh had been hit by a drone. Apart from feeling violated, the US Embassy is also a particular place of many fond memories for us Saudis. Most recently, under former Ambassador Michael Ratney, it hosted an Independence Day festivity that quite literally “brought the moon,” celebrating everything Saudis and Americans achieved or enjoy together, from space exploration to pop music.

Unlike some other places in the Middle East, America occupies a special place in the hearts and minds of most modern Saudis. An attack on the US, on our turf, feels like an attack on us.

The second bit of disturbing news came just hours later. Leading television network Al Arabiya broke the news that, according to its sources, some of the drone attacks targeting the Kingdom may have originated not from Iran, but from a fellow Arab country: Iraq.

This development coincided with a recent statement from Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi. Speaking on CNN, he said: “Iran is not responsible for the attacks on the oil installations of Saudi Arabia. We have made it clear and have made an official statement that that was not the target of Iranian armed forces.”