Reports confirm a drone attack on a major Saudi oil facility, causing a fire and a precautionary shutdown that sent global oil prices soaring.
ISTANBUL: An Iranian drone strike targeted Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura oil refining facility on Monday, igniting a fire according to media reports cited by Anadolu Ajansi.
The incident was captured in widely circulated social media footage showing the aftermath of the attack.
Ras Tanura, a primary oil refining and export hub on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast, was reportedly shut down by Aramco as a precautionary measure following the strike.
The reported closure of the refinery sent Brent crude oil prices skyrocketing by 9.32%.
A Reuters report quoted an official stating the situation at the Ras Tanura refinery was under control despite the precautionary shutdown.
This attack is part of a broader regional escalation following US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday, which killed several top leaders including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tehran has retaliated with a series of drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, US assets, and several Gulf countries.
Iranian strikes have so far hit Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Iranian Red Crescent reported that at least 201 people have been killed and 747 injured inside Iran from US-Israeli attacks since Saturday.
