Saudi Aramco has halted operations at its Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia after a drone strike in the area, according to people familiar with the matter.
The refinery, among the largest in Saudi Arabia, can process 550,000 barrels of crude per day. The plant located on the Persian Gulf was shut down earlier Monday as a precaution as Aramco assess damage, the people familiar with developments said, asking not to be named because the information is not yet public. A blaze at the site was under control, they said.
Aramco’s media office did not have an immediate comment, while Saudi Arabia’s government did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Crude oil in London was trading 9.7% higher after hostilities in the Middle East started over the weekend with the US and Israel attacking Iran and Tehran firing hundreds of missiles and drones at countries around the region in retaliation. An attack on major energy infrastructure is a nightmare scenario for oil markets with maritime traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz already all but halting as tensions escalate.
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Published on March 2, 2026
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