Iran’s foreign minister calls on Saudis to ‘eject’ U.S. forces

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday called on the Saudi Arabian government to “eject” U.S. troops from its territory. His comments come days after the Iranian military attacked a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia.

“Iran respects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and considers it a brotherly nation. Our operations are aimed at enemy aggressors who have no respect for Arabs or Iranians, nor can provide any security. Just look at what we did to their aerial command. High time to eject U.S. forces,” Araghchi said on X, posting a photo of a damaged U.S. Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft following an Iranian strike at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

Last week, an Iranian missile attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia, injured 12 U.S. service members, according to The Wall Street Journal. The paper reported that two service members suffered significant injuries, while 10 were concussed. 

The attack also damaged multiple U.S. refueling aircraft, and several unmanned aerial vehicles were hit. The destruction of the Boeing-made E-3 Sentry, which costs roughly $300 million, marks the first time such an aircraft has been destroyed in combat. The BBC published verified pictures showing the US command and control aircraft destroyed.

The U.S. and Israel launched what they described as a pre-emptive strike against Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran was developing a nuclear weapon and posed a threat—an allegation Iran has denied. In response, Iran launched counterattacks, firing missiles and drones at Israel, as well as at U.S. assets and other targets across the Middle East.