Aramco oil refinery in Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura reportedly attacked by Iranian drone and facility shut down – VIDEO |
Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura oil refinery on Monday following reports of a drone strike on the facility, according to Reuters And Bloomberg. News of the shutdown sparked a sharp reaction in energy markets, with Brent crude oil prices jumping 9.32 percent.
Visuals show impact on Aramco refinery and smoke billowing from facility
Quoting an official, Reuters said the refinery was closed as a precautionary measure, adding that the situation was under control. Social media posts claimed the apparent drone strike caused a small fire at the facility. Unverified videos circulating online showed thick plumes of smoke rising from the refinery. Aramco has not yet released an official confirmation.
This development comes as the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel entered a very volatile phase this weekend. The United States and Israel launched missile strikes on targets across Iran on Saturday, prompting Tehran to retaliate by attacking Israel and U.S. military bases, as well as other targets in the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Saudi Arabia calls Iranian attacks 'cowardly'
Earlier, Saudi Arabia said it had repelled what it called “cowardly” Iranian attacks targeting areas around Riyadh and places in the kingdom's eastern region. Condemning the strikes, Riyadh said Iran was aware that Saudi airspace and territory were not being used for US or Israeli operations against Tehran.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its rejection and condemnation in the strongest terms of Iran’s blatant and cowardly attacks,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said, adding that such actions “cannot be justified under any pretext.” Saudi authorities also summoned Iran's ambassador to the kingdom, Alireza Enayati, over the strikes.
