Saudi Arabia's state oil giant Aramco shut its Ras Tanura refinery following a drone strike, an industry source said on Monday, after Tehran launched strikes across the region in response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
An Iranian drone strike targeted the major Saudi oil facility, triggering a small fire at one of the kingdom’s most critical refining hubs. The incident occurred at the Ras Tanura refinery on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast, according to reports.
The Ras Tanura complex, on the kingdom's Gulf coast, houses one of the Middle East's largest refineries with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day (bpd) and serves as a critical export terminal for Saudi crude.
It was shut as a precautionary measure and the situation is under control, the source said.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) reportedly struck the Ras Tanura refining facility, operated by Saudi Aramco, in the early hours of Monday. The attack sparked a limited fire at the site, raising fresh concerns about the security of Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure amid rising regional tensions.
🔴#LATEST — Unconfirmed reports claim Iranian drone strikes on Aramco's oil facilities in Saudi Arabia pic.twitter.com/UfBDZThTk4
— Türkiye Today (@turkiyetodaycom) March 2, 2026
Reports described the drone as Iranian, though no immediate official statement detailed the launch point or further operational specifics.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense confirmed that two drones had been shot down near Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery. According to the ministry, there were no casualties in the drone attack.
However, debris falling from the intercepted drones caused a minor fire at the refinery, which was later brought under control.
Fire contained, damage isolated
The blaze caused by the drone impact was later brought under control, according to reports. Officials described the fire as isolated, suggesting that the damage was contained and did not spread across the wider refining complex.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Ras Tanura’s importance
Located along the Gulf on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast, Ras Tanura is one of the kingdom’s main refining hubs. The facility plays a crucial role within Saudi Arabia’s vast oil infrastructure network, making it strategically significant not only for the kingdom but also for global energy markets.
Any disruption at Ras Tanura has the potential to affect regional oil supply chains, even if damage remains limited.
The drone strike added to a wave of attacks on the Gulf, including on Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Manama and Oman's commercial part of Duqm. The strikes have paralysed major shipping hubs in the United Arab Emirates and Oman and sent Brent crude futures surging roughly 10% on Monday.
Saudi Arabia's heavily fortified energy facilities have been targeted previously, most notably in September 2019 when 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.
