Saudi Aramco shuts down Ras Tanura oil refinery after Iran strikes. Why this is concerning – Firstpost

Iran is taking the fight to the US and Israel. After being hit on Saturday and the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran is hitting back at key sites across the Gulf countries, which would hurt them the most.

After taking aim at airports in Gulf countries, Iran has struck at Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery. This action has led to Saudi Arabia’s state oil company Aramco pausing operations at the refinery.

Plumes of smoke could be seen in visuals shown online after Iran’s Shahed-136 drone reportedly struck the Saudi Aramco oil refining facility.

Fortunately, there have been no reports of casualties from the incident. Moreover, the Saudi defence ministry stated that it successfully repelled additional drones that attempted to target the Ras Tanura oil refinery.

1. On Monday (March 3), three days since hostilities began between Israel and US against Iran, the Islamic Republic reportedly struck at Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery.

2. The attack sparked a fire that was described as “small and controlled,” with defence ministry spokesperson Turki al-Maliki saying that it was the falling debris from the intercepted drones that caused the blaze.

3. Following the strike, the site was shut down site temporarily. Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry confirmed the same, saying some operations had been halted, following an attack that caused a fire at the complex. “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.

4. A Saudi defence ministry spokesperson told Al Arabiya TV that two drones targeting Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura facility were intercepted.

5. Located in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia, Ras Tanura is one of the kingdom’s one largest, and most important oil export terminals.

6. It is also the oldest refinery on the Persian Gulf coast, located near the industrial port city Jubail in Saudi Arabia.

7. Ras Tanura has a daily crude oil production capacity exceeding half a million barrels, making it a key node in global energy supply.

Closure of Ras Tanura refinery owned by Saudi Aramco after it was subjected to a drone attack — Reuters pic.twitter.com/SVT40q9wC1

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) March 2, 2026

8. A strike on the Saudi oil site comes at a crucial time for the global oil market. Many are concerned that the shutting of the refinery as well as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 13-15 million barrels, or 20 per cent of global supply, of oil flows, could lead to crude prices skyrocketing.

9. On Monday,
   cost of crude already skyrocketed, threatening to reignite inflation. Brent jumped around 10 per cent to $79.90 a barrel, though it had briefly topped $82.00 at one stage, while US crude climbed 8.2 per cent to $72.64 per barrel, reported Reuters. Consultancy Wood Mackenzie said oil prices could exceed $100 per barrel if tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is not restored quickly.

10. Earlier, Saudi Arabia had slammed Iran for its “cowardly” attacks on Riyadh as well as locations in the kingdom’s eastern region.

11. The Kingdom’s foreign ministry also issued a statement, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its rejection and condemnation in the strongest terms of the blatant and cowardly Iranian attacks.” The Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia had also been summoned by officials in Riyadh.

12. Prior to attacking the Ras Tanura refinery, Iranian missiles targeted
    Riyadh’s international airport and the Prince Sultan Airbase on Sunday, which hosts US forces.

13. This isn’t the first time that Saudi Arabia’s energy facilities have been targeted. In September 2019, unprecedented drone and missile attacks on the Abqaiq and Khurais plants temporarily knocked out more than half of the kingdom’s crude production and roiled global markets.

With inputs from agencies