Saudi Arabia has halted some operations at its massive Ras Tanura Refinery after a drone attack caused a fire at the critical energy facility, the kingdom’s energy ministry confirmed on Monday, March 2.
The refinery, located on Saudi Arabia’s eastern Gulf coast, is one of the largest in the Middle East and a key component of the country’s energy sector, producing 550,000 barrels per day. The complex serves as one of the world’s largest oil export terminals.
According to a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency, an official source at the ministry stated: “Some operational units at the refinery were shut down as a precautionary measure, with no impact on the supply of petroleum products to local markets.”
Earlier, a source familiar with the incident told AFP that the attack started a fire at the Ras Tanura refinery, but that it had been extinguished. A spokesman for the Saudi defense ministry said two drones targeted the refinery and were intercepted, according to a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on X.
According to security analysts, the attempted strike highlights rising tensions in the Gulf, following a series of missile and drone attacks blamed on Iran.
Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft, stated, “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 expected to bring Saudi Arabia and other 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.