Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of Saudi Arabia, has shut down its Ras Tanura oil refinery following a fire sparked by debris from an Iranian drone attack at the facility.
According to a report by the Saudi Press Agency, the fire was caused by debris from the interception of two drones near the facility.
The publication said the Ras Tanura oil refinery, one of the largest in the world, suffered only minor damage, citing a source from the ministry of energy.
“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.”
The Ras Tanura complex, on the kingdom’s Gulf coast, houses one of the Middle East’s largest refineries with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day (bpd).
This development reinforces the growing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and could impact global oil prices, which are already trending upwards.
On Saturday, US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Abdolrahim Mousavi, Iran’s supreme leader, and armed forces chief of staff, respectively.
Khamenei’s daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law and son-in-law were also killed in the military operation.
In response, Iran launched waves of missiles across the Middle East region, including Saudi Arabia.
