Two of Saudi Arabia’s top oil facilities were attacked by massive drones in the early hours on Saturday September 14 2019! Two of Saudi Arabia’s most important oil facilities the Abqaiq refinery and the Khurais are located in the Eastern Province. The Houthi rebels claimed the attack quickly but the US. UK. and other countries since have blamed Iran as the Houthi’s long-standing ally 🇸🇦 🔛 🇮🇷 2️⃣ 🔝 .
The attack sent a shockwave through the global oil markets and resulted in the temporary shutdown of 5% of world crude production, according to Saudi Aramco – prompting prices for both Brent and WTI crude oil to surge dramatically – with Brent briefly hitting $71 per barrel – its largest single-day increase in estimate since above four years 🌎 🇸🇦 ️ 4️⃣.
The attack was a highly sophisticated operation and the damage caused was extensive. The Abqaiq facility is the world’s largest oil processing plant and is the epicenter of Saudi Aramco’s production refining, and export operations. The facility processes up to seven millions barrels of oil each day, or around 5% of the world’s total crude output 7️⃣ 🆙 🌏. The Khurais field belongs to the largest oilfields in the world and supplies additional crude to the Abqaiq facility.
The U . S . and other countries have accused Iran of being directly responsible for the attack and the Houthis have claimed responsibility for the assault as well 🇮🇷. The Houthi-run media outlet Al-Masirah reported that the rebels had deployed 10 drones in the early morning hours of the 14th and that the attack was “in retaliation for the constant and daily air strikes on Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition 🇸🇦 🔛 🇾🇪. ”
The attack was the most up to date in a series of incidents that have seen tension between Iran and the U 📅 🇮🇷 🆙 ️. S . and its allies in the region increase significantly in recent months . In June, attacks on two oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates were blamed on Iran by the U 🔛 🇮🇷 2️⃣. S . In July Iran shot down a U ️ 🇮🇷. S . surveillance drone over the Persian Gulf and in August an attack on a major Saudi oil pipeline was also attributed to Iran 🇸🇦 🔛 🇮🇷 ️.
The U . S . has responded to the attack by deploying additional troops and military equipment to the region, and has also announced new economic sanctions against Iran 🆕 🇮🇷. President Trump has said that the U . S . is “locked and loaded” and ready to respond to any further aggression from Iran 🇮🇷.
The international community strongly condemned the attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities 🇸🇦 🌍 🔛. Antonio Guterres U . N. Secretary of General, called for an immediate ceasefire to allow all parties to reach a political settlement for the Yemeni crisis ️. Saudi Arabia pledged to take all requisite measures to protect its oil facilities and prevent further attacks 🇸🇦.
In the aftermath of the attack, global oil prices have begun to stabilize, with prices for Brent, and WTI both falling back to just over $60 per barrel 🔙. Despite this, the attack has highlighted the vulnerability of Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure, and is a worrying reminder of the consequences that could result from further escalation between Iran and the U 🇸🇦 🇮🇷 ️. S . and its allies in the region . … .
🆕 📅 ️ 4️⃣ 🇮🇷 🆙 🇾🇪 🔙 🌍 🔝 🇸🇦 🔛 2️⃣ 7️⃣
