Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy has confirmed that some operational units at the Ras Tanura Refinery were temporarily shut down on Monday following a drone attack that sparked a fire at the facility.
The refinery, situated along the kingdom’s eastern Gulf coast, is one of the largest in the Middle East and a vital component of Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure. It has a refining capacity of about 550,000 barrels per day and also functions as one of the world’s largest oil export terminals.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, an official source from the Ministry of Energy stated that the shutdown was taken as a precautionary measure and did not affect petroleum product supplies to domestic markets.
“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,” the source said.
Earlier, a source familiar with the incident told AFP that the attack caused a fire at the refinery, but the blaze was quickly brought under control and extinguished.
A spokesperson for the Saudi Ministry of Defence disclosed that two drones had targeted the facility but were successfully intercepted, according to a statement posted by the Saudi Press Agency on X.
Security analysts say the incident signals a sharp escalation in regional tensions. Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst with risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft, described the attack as a significant development in the ongoing confrontation involving Iran.
“The attack on Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery marks a significant escalation, with Gulf energy infrastructure now squarely in Iran’s sights,” Soltvedt said in a conflict briefing note. He added that the incident could push Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states closer to aligning with ongoing US and Israeli military operations against Iran.
Separately, a Gulf source briefed on the matter told AFP that Iranian missiles aimed at an air base near the capital, Riyadh, were intercepted. The base, which houses US personnel, has reportedly been targeted three times in as many days.
Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia strongly condemned Iran after strikes targeted Riyadh and parts of its eastern region, warning that it reserved the right to defend itself, including through retaliatory action.
Saudi oil infrastructure has previously come under attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. In March 2022, the Houthis launched a drone strike on the YASREF Refinery in Yanbu Industrial City on the Red Sea.
Earlier, in 2019, aerial attacks claimed by the Houthis targeted two facilities operated by Saudi Aramco in eastern Saudi Arabia, temporarily halving the kingdom’s crude oil production.
The latest developments underscore mounting instability in the Gulf, raising fresh concerns over the security of critical global energy infrastructure.
AFP
