Oil giant Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura, home to its largest domestic refinery, was struck again by a drone today, a Saudi Defence Ministry spokesperson said. This Aramco complex is considered the cornerstone of the kingdom’s energy sector.
“An attempted attack targeted the Ras Tanura refinery, and preliminary assessments indicate the attack was carried out by a drone, resulting in no damage,” the spokesperson said.
On Monday, a similar strike by Iranian Shahed suicide drones had forced Saudi Aramco to close its Ras Tanura refinery, amid fears of a broader disruption in the region’s energy infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest oil exporter, with most of its oil fields and petroleum infrastructure located along its eastern coast, across the Gulf from Iran.
After the first drone attack earlier this week, the energy company had suspended exports of liquefied petroleum gas. Local supplies were not affected. Aramco’s decision to stop export of propane and butane will last for a few weeks, the company said.
The oil giant is trying to reroute some exports via the Red Sea to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran said is open only to Chinese ships.
Since the day the joint US-Israel strikes on Iran began, the Islamic country has been firing missiles at everyone in the Middle East that it sees as a traitor for helping the US military set up expeditionary bases on their territories.
Iran has also targeted tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows. The war in the Middle East has driven up oil prices more than $1 on Wednesday. Brent rose $1.11, or 1.4 per cent, to $82.53 a barrel, after closing at its highest since January 2025 on Tuesday.
Neighbouring Iraq, the second-largest crude producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, has cut output by nearly 1.5 million barrels a day, about half its production, due to storage limits and the lack of an export route.
Countries and companies have begun seeking alternative routes and supplies. India and Indonesia, for example, said they were looking for other energy supplies, while some Chinese refineries were shutting or moving up maintenance plans.
With inputs from Reuters