Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco, has temporarily shut down operations at its Ras Tanura oil refinery after an Iranian drone attack triggered a fire at the facility.
According to a report by the Saudi Press Agency, the fire was ignited by falling debris following the interception of two drones near the complex. Citing a source from the kingdom’s ministry of energy, the report indicated that the facility suffered only minor damage.
“The incident resulted in a limited fire, which was immediately contained by emergency response teams,” the official report stated. “No injuries or fatalities were reported. Some operational units at the refinery were shut down as a precautionary measure, without any impact on the supply of petroleum products to local markets.”
Located on the kingdom’s Gulf coast, the Ras Tanura complex houses one of the largest refineries in the Middle East, boasting a production capacity of 550,000 barrels per day.
This development is the latest in a rapid escalation of geopolitical tensions across the Middle East, raising concerns about the potential impact on already climbing global oil prices.
The drone attack on the Saudi facility follows major US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets over the weekend. On Saturday, military strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as the armed forces chief of staff, Abdolrahim Mousavi. Several members of Khamenei’s family, including his daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law, were also reported killed in the operation.
In retaliation for the assassinations, Iran has launched waves of missiles and drones across the Middle East, including the strikes directed at Saudi Arabia.
