A general view shows Ras Tannura's oil production plant near Dammam in Saudi Arabia's eastern province, 27 December 2004. Photo by BILAL QABALAN / AFP
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said some operations at its massive Ras Tanura refinery on the Gulf coast had been halted on Monday, following an attack that caused a fire at the complex, which was eventually brought under control.
The Ras Tanura facility along the kingdom's eastern Gulf coast is home to one of the largest refineries in the entire Middle East and a cornerstone of the kingdom's energy sector.
The complex has a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day.
"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," an official source at the ministry said in a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency.
A Saudi defence ministry spokesman said two drones had targeted the refinery and been intercepted, according to a statement posted by the Saudi Press Agency on X.
The complex also serves as one of the world's biggest oil ports.
Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, said the incident marked a major uptick in tensions in the Gulf following a spate of barrages fired by Iran across the region.
"The attack on Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura refinery marks a significant escalation, with Gulf energy infrastructure now squarely in Iran's sights," said Soltvedt in a note on the conflict.
