Ras Tanura’s Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia engulfed by fire after ‘Iranian drone strike’ | World | News

All operations have been halted by Saudi Aramco at its refinery in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, following a reported Iranian drone strike. The blaze was later brought under control and described as isolated, the reports said.

Ras Tanura, located on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast along the Gulf, is one of the kingdom’s main refining hubs within its oil infrastructure network. Footage on social media shows large plumes of smoke rising from the site as hostilities continue to escalate in the Middle East following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to local media, the country’s key energy hub was hit by Iranian Shahed-136 drones.

The strike caused a small fire at the site, which was “put under control” later. Several reports confirm that the refinery was shut down as a precautionary measure although it is not known if there were any casualties.

The attacks on Iran have sent a chill through world markets. Shares opened sharply lower in Tokyo and Australia early on Monday and oil prices soared.

Attacks throughout the region, including on two vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, disrupt the region’s ability to export oil.

A barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, was trading at around 79 dollars (£59) per barrel Sunday night, according to FactSet, up about 8% from Friday.

Eight countries that form part of the Opec+ oil cartel have announced they will boost production of crude as US and Israeli forces launched a major attack on Iran.

The country responded with retaliatory strikes against Israel and US military installations around the Gulf, disrupting oil shipments from the region.

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), in a Sunday meeting planned before the war began, said it would increase production by 206,000 barrels per day in April, which was more than analysts had been expecting.

The countries boosting output include Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman.

Attacks throughout the region, including on two vessels travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, could restrict countries’ ability to export oil to the rest of the world.

This would will likely result in higher prices for crude oil and gasoline, according to energy experts.

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Roughly 15 million barrels of crude oil per day — about 20% of the world’s oil — are shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, making it the world’s most critical oil choke point, according to Rystad Energy.

More than 200 people have been killed since the start of the strikes that killed Khamenei and other senior leaders, Iranian leaders have said, as blasts across the country rattled windows and sent plumes of smoke high into the sky above the capital city of Tehran.

The US military said Iranian missiles resulted in the deaths of three service members — the first known American casualties from the conflict.

Israel’s rescue services said nine people were killed and 28 wounded in a strike that hit a synagogue in the central town of Beit Shemesh, bringing the overall death toll in the country to 11. Eleven people were still missing after the strike, police said.

Speaking in a video message, US President Donald Trump said America would “avenge” the deaths of the service members and that “there will likely be more” killed before the conflict ends.

The president made the comments in a roughly six-minute video he posted on social media on Sunday afternoon.

He called the three service members “true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives”.