Iran has intensified its military operations in the Gulf region, launching fresh drone attacks on key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, further escalating tensions in the ongoing Middle East conflict.
On Thursday, drones struck a major Saudi refinery along the Red Sea coast, while separate attacks triggered fires at two oil refineries in Kuwait. The incidents mark a significant expansion of Iran’s targeting of critical energy infrastructure across the region.
According to Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry, one of the drones hit the Samref refinery located in the industrial city of Yanbu. Authorities confirmed that emergency teams were assessing the extent of the damage following the strike. Yanbu serves as a strategic oil export hub, acting as the endpoint of the Petroline pipeline, which allows Saudi Arabia to bypass the Strait of Hormuz—a key shipping route currently disrupted amid the conflict.
In Kuwait, drone strikes ignited fires at the Mina Abdullah and Mina Al-Ahmadi refineries, two of the country’s largest oil processing facilities with a combined output capacity of approximately 800,000 barrels per day. The Kuwait National Petroleum Company later confirmed that the fires had been successfully contained, preventing further damage.
The latest attacks come a day after significant damage was reported at Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas production sites. The strikes were carried out in response to earlier Israeli military action targeting Iran’s South Pars gas field, part of the largest known natural gas reserve globally.
As the conflict enters its third week, global oil markets have reacted sharply. The benchmark Brent crude surged past $115 per barrel on Thursday, reflecting growing concerns over supply disruptions and instability in one of the world’s most critical energy-producing regions.
Analysts warn that continued attacks on oil infrastructure could further strain global energy supplies and drive prices even higher if the conflict persists.
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