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.