Tuesday, March, 3 2026 - Saudi Arabia has halted some operations at its vast Ras Tanura Refinery following a drone attack that sparked a fire at the key energy facility, the kingdom’s energy ministry confirmed on Monday, March 2.
The refinery, located along Saudi Arabia’s eastern Gulf
coast, is one of the largest in the Middle East and a cornerstone of the
country’s energy sector, with a production capacity of 550,000 barrels per day.
The complex also functions as one of the world’s largest oil export terminals.
In a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency, an
official source at the ministry said: “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.”
Earlier, a source familiar with the incident told AFP that
the attack caused a fire at the Ras Tanura refinery, but confirmed the blaze
had been extinguished. A spokesman for the Saudi defence ministry said two
drones had targeted the refinery and were intercepted, according to a statement
carried by the Saudi Press Agency on X.
Security analysts said the attempted strike underscores
rising tensions across the Gulf, following a series of missile and drone
barrages attributed to Iran.
Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst at risk intelligence firm
Verisk Maplecroft, said: “The attack on Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery
marks a significant escalation, with Gulf energy infrastructure now squarely in
Iran’s sights. The attack is also likely to move Saudi Arabia and neighbouring
Gulf states closer to joining US and Israeli military operations against Iran.”
Near the capital, Riyadh, Iranian missiles targeting an air
base that houses US personnel were also intercepted, according to a Gulf source
briefed on the matter. The base has reportedly been targeted for the third
consecutive day.
Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia strongly condemned Iranian
strikes aimed at Riyadh and the kingdom’s eastern region, warning that it
reserved the right to defend itself, including by retaliating.
Saudi oil infrastructure has been targeted in the past by
Iran-backed Houthi rebels. In March 2022, the Houthis launched a drone attack
on the YASREF refinery in Yanbu Industrial City on the Red Sea. In 2019,
Houthi-claimed aerial assaults on two facilities operated by Saudi Aramco in
eastern Saudi Arabia temporarily knocked out roughly half of the kingdom’s
crude production.
The latest disruption has heightened concerns over the
security of global energy supplies as the broader regional conflict continues
to intensify.
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