Saudi Arabia’s state oil company Saudi Aramco has temporarily closed its largest refinery ‘Ras Tanura’ today. This decision was taken after an attempted drone attack, which caused a small fire in the area. According to the Saudi Defense Ministry and industry sources, the situation is now under control, there were no deaths and the fire was quickly brought under control.
The drone had fallen from Iran
Ras Tanura Refinery is one of the largest refineries in the world, which processes 5.5 lakh barrels of crude oil daily. It is located on the eastern coast of the Persian Gulf and is a major hub of Saudi Arabia’s oil export. According to media reports, the drone attack was carried out by Iran, which is a response to the attacks by America and Israel. Iran has also targeted American bases and now civilian oil infrastructure in Gulf countries.
A spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry told Al Arabiya TV that two drones coming towards Ras Tanura were successfully intercepted. But a drone hit the area, causing a small fire. Aramco has stopped operations for safety assessment. Despite the situation being under control, loading (oil export) has temporarily stopped.
There was a terrible attack on the oil facility 7 years ago.
This incident is the first time since 2019 that such a major drone attack took place on an oil facility in Saudi Arabia. In 2019, Iran-backed militias attacked the Abqaiq and Khurais plants, halving Saudi production and shaking the global oil market. Due to today’s attack, the price of Brent crude has reached close to $80 per barrel, as tensions are increasing in the Gulf.
Iran’s attacks have now spread to many Gulf countries. Drone and missile attacks have also taken place in UAE’s Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman’s Duaam. Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned this attack and described it as ‘terrorist aggression’. GCC countries (Gulf Cooperation Council) also condemned Iran’s attacks and expressed their right to respond.
Iran attacks affect global oil supply
Trump had said that Operation Epic Fury could last for 4 weeks. Now these attacks show that Iran is increasing pressure on America and its allies by targeting the oil hub of the Gulf. There was no major damage, but global oil supply may be affected. Aramco is currently conducting damage assessment and hopes to resume operations soon.
