Iran launched drone attacks on key Gulf energy infrastructure on Thursday, hitting a Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea and sparking fires at two refineries in Kuwait, as tensions in the region escalated.
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry reported that a drone crashed into the Samref refinery in the industrial zone of the Red Sea port of Yanbu, and said damage assessments were underway.
The refinery, with a processing capacity of approximately 400,000 barrels of crude per day, sits along the Petroline pipeline, an overland route providing an alternative to exports through the Strait of Hormuz, which remains constrained due to regional tensions with Iran.
In Kuwait, drone strikes ignited fires at the Mina Abdullah and Mina Al-Ahmadi refineries, which together handle about 800,000 barrels per day.
Officials from the state-owned Kuwait National Petroleum Company confirmed that the blazes were later contained.
The attacks come a day after significant damage was inflicted on Ras Laffan, the world’s largest gas hub, as Iran retaliated for Israeli strikes on its South Pars gas field.
Oil markets have reacted sharply to the nearly three-week conflict in the region, with Brent crude surging past $115 per barrel on Thursday, reflecting growing concerns over supply disruptions.
The strikes mark a further intensification of the Middle East energy crisis, as regional powers continue to target vital oil and gas infrastructure.
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