Several Middle Eastern Countries Giving Iranian Officials The Boot

Lebanon kicked out Iran’s ambassador-designate Tuesday, making it the fourth Arab country in a week to oust Iranian officials as Tehran’s grip on the region rapidly weakens.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi announced on X that Mohammad Reza Shibani must leave the country by March 29. Beirut also ousted its Iranian ambassador Tuesday, the Washington Examiner reported.

Shibani took over the post earlier this year after his predecessor, Mojtaba Amani, suffered injuries during the September 2024 pager attack that devastated Hezbollah’s ranks. The Lebanese government had already banned Hezbollah military operations on March 2, Reuters reported. The government reportedly ordered the arrest of any IRGC members operating in the country days later.

Raggi appeared at a gathering of regional officials in Riyadh last week, where he accused Iran of exploiting Arab nations for its own strategic ends, the Jerusalem Post reported.

“By targeting Arab and Islamic countries, Iran is attempting to hijack their security and peace and trade them for its own opportunistic objectives,” Raggi said. Lebanon also voiced support for Kuwait and the UAE after both countries uncovered Hezbollah terror cells on their soil, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Trump Lays Out Terms For End To Iran War)

Saudi Arabia on Saturday gave five Iranian diplomats 24 hours to leave the kingdom, the Washington Examiner reported. The expelled officials included the military attaché, his deputy, and three embassy staff, according to a Saudi Foreign Ministry statement. Iranian drone and missile strikes have hit the kingdom’s energy sites, the Prince Sultan Air Base hosting American forces, and the capital city itself, according to the outlet.

BREAKING

The Lebanese government has declared Mohammad Reza Shibani, the ambassador-designate of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to be persona non grata and is giving him until Sunday to leave Lebanon.

This makes four Arab nations that have expelled Islamic Republic of Iran… pic.twitter.com/X6uzFE8GzY

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 24, 2026

Qatar recently removed military and security attachés after an Iranian strike damaged Ras Laffan Industrial City, one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas processing hubs, according to the Gulf Times. Doha called the attack a direct threat to national security.

The UAE took the most aggressive step. Abu Dhabi shuttered its entire embassy in Tehran on March 1 and withdrew all diplomatic personnel, the UAE Foreign Ministry announced. Officials condemned Iranian missile strikes on residential neighborhoods, airports and ports as violations of sovereignty.

The coordinated pushback amounts to a drastic reversal for Tehran, which for decades projected power across the Middle East through proxy networks.