Saudi Arabia May Retaliate Militarily if Iran Targets Oil Facilities

Saudi Arabia may respond militarily if Iran launches a coordinated attack on its oil infrastructure, according to a source close to the Saudi government.

The warning follows a halt in operations at some facilities at the Ras Tanura refinery after it was targeted by drones, according to reports. The Saudi military has raised its level of readiness, a source close to the armed forces said.

A military response would become a likely option for Saudi Arabia if it determines that Iran is launching a coordinated campaign against the Kingdom's oil facilities, the source stated, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The source explained that Saudi Arabia would target Iranian oil facilities if Iran launched a coordinated attack on Aramco, the Saudi oil giant and one of the world’s largest crude oil producers.

Earlier, the Saudi Ministry of Energy said in a statement that some operating units at the refinery were shut down as a precaution, without affecting supplies of petroleum and its derivatives to local markets.

Defense Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki announced that two drones that attempted to attack the Ras Tanura refinery were intercepted and destroyed earlier in the day, noting a limited fire broke out as a result of the debris from the interception process without causing any civilian casualties.

The Ras Tanura complex, located on the Kingdom's eastern coast, houses one of the largest oil refineries in the Middle East and is a key pillar of the Kingdom's energy sector, the world's largest exporter of crude oil. The facility has a production capacity of 550,000 barrels per day.