Drone strikes caused fires at two facilities of Saudi Arabia’s vast state oil company early Saturday, the kingdom’s interior ministry said, marking the latest in a series of attacks on the country’s petroleum assets in recent months.
Authorities were investigating the strikes on Aramco’s facility at Abqaiq in the kingdom’s Eastern Province and another at the Hijra Khurais oil field, the interior ministry said in a tweet.
The ministry said the fires were under control.
Published images of the fire at the Abqaiq facility showed what appeared to be a huge blaze along with plumes of smoke.
Saudi officials with knowledge of the attack described a confusing, still-unfolding set of circumstances. The officials said multiple drones attacked the facilities.
One Aramco executive said company compounds, where workers live, had been evacuated.
The Saudi government didn’t say who was behind the attack, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Saudi Arabia’s oil pipelines, tankers, and other infrastructure have come under attack in recent months amid a broader regional crisis with neighboring Iran.
Drone and missiles launched by Iranian-allied rebels in Yemen have repeatedly struck inside Saudi Arabia in recent months, hitting airports and other civilian installations. At least one drone strike was launched from neighboring Iraq, according to U.S. officials.
Saudi and American officials have blamed Iran for targeting the kingdom’s oil infrastructure, including the use of mines to damage Saudi oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman in May.
Iran has denied striking Saudi targets or coordinating with Yemeni rebels to hit the kingdom’s oil equipment.
Disruptions in Saudi oil production could have ripple effects through the global economy, as the kingdom exports more crude petroleum than any other country.
Saudi officials have called for the international community to help protect its oil infrastructure.
Recently reimposed U.S. sanctions on Tehran have crippled its oil industry and sent its economy into a tailspin, raising fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East. The U.S. action came after President Trump pulled out of a 2015 international deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program, saying it didn’t go far enough to rein in Tehran’s regional ambitions.
—Summer Said contributed to this article.
Write to Jared Malsin at jared.malsin@wsj.com
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/drone-strikes-spark-fires-at-saudi-oil-facilities-11568443375
2019-09-14 06:42:00Z
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