One of the world's largest oil refineries in Saudi Arabia was struck by an Iranian drone on Monday, triggering a massive explosion and a towering fireball, prompting officials to quickly shut down the facility as flames ripped through the site.
Disturbing video footage showed a huge blaze tearing through the Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco's facility in Ras Tanura, with thick smoke rising into the sky after a wave of attacks on key oil infrastructure across the Middle East. Saudi officials later said the situation was brought under control. The Saudi Defense Ministry confirmed that two drones aimed at the site were intercepted and destroyed, and no one was injured.
Saudi Aramco Hit
Saudi Aramco moved swiftly to shut down the refinery as a precaution, according to reports from Saudi state media. Even with the temporary closure, an unnamed official from Saudi Energy Ministry said there had been no disruption to supplies of petroleum or related products in domestic markets, stressing that fuel availability across Saudi Arabia remains stable despite the attack.
The facility — one of the largest of its kind anywhere in the world — produces roughly 550,000 barrels of oil a day and plays a critical role in Saudi Arabia's energy sector.
Earlier on Monday, separate reports surfaced from Kuwait, where falling debris was reported at the Ahmadi oil refinery after drones were intercepted and shot down. According to the state-run KUNA, at least two workers were injured in the incident.
Oil Refineries Become Target
Meanwhile, the government of Qatar said that an energy facility operated by QatarEnergy was also targeted by two Iranian drones. Officials said assessments were underway to determine the extent of the damage caused by the attack, as tensions linked to Iran continue to ripple across the region.
"It's a really worrying signal," Jorge Leon, who is head of geopolitical analysis at energy firm Rystad Energy, told AFP.
"So far, we haven't seen energy infrastructure being targeted."
"The longer this disruption goes on for the higher oil and gas prices we will see in the coming days and weeks," he added.
The wave of retaliatory strikes launched by Iran has already **forced shutdowns and disruption at multiple oil and gas facilities across the Middle East*, affecting energy production and export infrastructure in the region.
