Saudi Arabia Shuts Down Oil Refinery After Iran Drone Attack

Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of Saudi Arabia, has temporarily halted operations at its Ras Tanura refinery after a fire broke out at the facility.

The blaze was triggered by debris that fell during the interception of two Iranian drones near the site.

The Saudi Press Agency, quoting a source from the Ministry of Energy, reported that the damage was minor.

“The incident resulted in a limited fire, which was immediately contained by emergency response teams,” the report reads.

“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.”

Ras Tanura, located along Saudi Arabia’s Gulf coast, is one of the largest oil refineries in the Middle East, with the capacity to process about 550,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

The incident comes at a time of rising tension across the region, a situation that may add further pressure to global oil prices, which have already been climbing.

The latest unrest follows joint US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets over the weekend, which reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with the country’s armed forces chief of staff, Abdolrahim Mousavi.

Several members of Khamenei’s family were also said to have died in the operation.

Iran responded by launching multiple missile attacks across parts of the Middle East, including strikes aimed at Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that the headquarters of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has been destroyed.