New attacks on a strategic oil port and refinery reported in the Middle East - what is known about the consequences
Kyiv • UNN
Saudi Arabia intercepted a missile over the port of Yanbu, and a drone attacked the Mina al-Ahmadi plant in Kuwait. Tehran has intensified strikes on the region's energy facilities.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday the interception of an Iranian missile targeting the strategic oil port of Yanbu - one of two main export points for oil from the region amid an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as a drone attack on the SAMREF refinery. And in Kuwait, a drone attack on the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery was reported, UNN writes with reference to CNN.
Details
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense announced the "interception and destruction of a ballistic missile" in a post on X. In a separate message, the ministry reported that a drone crashed into the SAMREF refinery, located near Yanbu, where damage assessment is underway.
According to a Reuters industry source, on Thursday, oil giant Saudi Aramco and the SAMREF refinery in the Red Sea port of Yanbu suffered an air attack, with minimal consequences. This followed other attacks on energy facilities in Qatar and the UAE in response to US-Israeli attacks on Iranian energy installations.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued an evacuation warning for several oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, including SAMREF, a joint venture of Saudi Aramco and Exxon Mobil.
Yanbu is one of two main export points for oil from the Persian Gulf countries since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz after the war began late last month. This strait, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, usually carries a fifth of the world's oil supply.
Another major export point is the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, which has suffered a series of attacks that have suspended its operations. It is not yet clear whether loading resumed on Thursday, Reuters reports.
On Wednesday, QatarEnergy stated that Iranian missile strikes on Ras Laffan, where Qatar's main liquefied natural gas processing facilities are located, caused "significant damage." Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed four ballistic missiles launched towards Riyadh, and the UAE suspended operations at its Habshan gas processing plant after a drone interception.
In Kuwait, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation also reported that a drone attacked one of the units of the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery on Thursday, causing a small fire, KUNA reported. According to KUNA, no one was injured in the attack. The Mina al-Ahmadi refinery is located approximately 40 kilometers south of the Kuwaiti capital.
On Wednesday, Tehran intensified attacks on energy facilities in the region after accusations from the US and Israel of striking oil and gas facilities, including the world's largest natural gas field, South Pars.
The latest attacks came after Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan stated that his country's patience with Iran was "not limitless" and warned that the country reserved the right to military action "if deemed necessary."