On 2 March 2026, an oil refinery in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia owned by Saudi Aramco was the target of an alleged Iraniandrone attack. The attack caused very minor damage, however the refinery halted operations out of security concerns and began working on creating alternate routes for oil product exports. The refinery is the largest in Saudi Arabia, and its shutdown caused spikes in oil prices.
As a part of the ongoing 2026 Iran war, Iran has launched numerous missile and drone strikes against U.S. military bases, allied military bases, and numerous civilian targets across the Middle East. A major target of these strikes so far have been oil refineries and depots in an attempt to disrupt crude oil and oil exports to the rest of the world. These strikes have caused significant global oil price increases, with strikes on oil depots and refinery facilities in the Strait of Hormuz impacting shipping through an area accounting for 20% of global oil and LNG supply.[2]
The Ras Tanura refinery is Saudi Arabia's largest domestic oil refinery, responsible for refining more than half a million barrels every day. Due to its position near the Persian Gulf, it also serves as a key export hub for Saudi Arabia's oil industry.[3]
Attack
The Aramco refinery in Ras Tanura was attacked by two Iranian drones on 2 March 2026. According to the Saudi Defense Ministry, both drones were successfully intercepted en route to their target. Debris from the interception reportedly caused a fire in the plant, however it was contained and quickly put out, and the complex suffered overall minor damage.[3]
Aftermath
Out of concerns for security, Saudi Aramco halted production at the Ras Tanura refinery. According to a statement by Aramco, they planned on keeping the plant shut down and exports cut off for a few weeks while they were rerouted to different parts of the country. With Iran declaring the Persian Gulf restricted to all nations except China, Saudi Arabia planned on using the Red Sea to export oil products such as propane or butane.[4]
After a short period, Saudi Arabia began exporting part of their oil product outputs through Yanbu, a port city in the Medina Province that lays on on the Red Sea.[5] Aramco also announced the Ras Tanura refinery would reopen after about a week of being shut down.[6]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Iran (alleged by Saudi Arabia, but denied by Iran)
Israel (alleged by Iran) [1]