A fire broke out early Sunday at Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery in southwestern Saudi Arabia after what Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement said was a drone attack on the facility.
The Saudi Energy Ministry said the blaze was brought under control and no injuries were reported.
The incident comes just two days after Saudi Arabia signed a landmark defence pact with Pakistan and Türkiye amid escalating attacks on Gulf states and disruptions to regional energy shipments.
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said firefighters and Aramco’s industrial security teams successfully brought the fire under control at the Jazan facility.
The ministry, in a statement posted on X, said the relevant authorities were completing procedures to deal with the incident. It did not immediately identify the cause of the fire.
The Jazan refinery is located on the Red Sea in southwestern Saudi Arabia, close to the border with Yemen. No injuries were reported in the incident.
The refinery has the capacity to process around 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day and produces refined petroleum products, including gasoline and ultra-light sulfur diesel.
Houthis claim drone attack
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility for the incident, saying they had targeted the Jazan refinery with a drone.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on X that the group had carried out the attack. The movement has previously claimed strikes against Saudi Aramco facilities in both Jazan and Yanbu.
The latest incident adds to concerns over the vulnerability of Saudi energy infrastructure and Red Sea shipping as the wider regional conflict continues to disrupt global energy markets.
Jazan refinery was already shut down
The latest incident follows an earlier attack that forced Aramco to shut down the Jazan refinery on July 27.
According to a note from consultancy IIR seen by Reuters, that attack damaged the refinery’s Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) complex and tank farm area.
The Houthis said at the time that they had targeted Aramco sites in Jazan and Yanbu. Those attacks raised concerns that threats to Red Sea shipping and Saudi oil infrastructure could deepen the global disruption already linked to the US war against Iran and Iranian attacks on shipping around the Strait of Hormuz.
Aramco says impact remains limited
Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser said last week that recent attacks on the company’s facilities had caused some production interruptions.
However, Nasser said he remained confident that operations could be restored quickly and maintained that the attacks had not caused a material operational or financial impact on the world’s largest oil exporter.
The latest fire nevertheless comes at a sensitive time for Saudi Arabia, with the kingdom facing increasing security risks to its energy infrastructure and shipping routes.
The Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea last month.
The group said the move was in response to what it described as a Saudi siege of Yemen. Riyadh denies the allegation.
The blockade and repeated attacks have heightened concerns about the security of Red Sea shipping and the uninterrupted movement of Saudi energy exports.
Regional conflict threatens global energy supplies
The latest escalation is part of a broader regional crisis that intensified after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
Since then, Iran and allied Shi’ite armed groups have launched attacks against Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states while also targeting or disrupting energy shipments.
The conflict has already disrupted global energy supplies and unsettled financial and commodity markets, with attacks around the Strait of Hormuz adding further pressure to international oil and gas flows.
The Jazan incident occurred just two days after Saudi Arabia signed a new defence agreement with Pakistan and Türkiye.
The pact is designed to strengthen collective deterrence and states that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all.
The agreement comes as Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states face growing security concerns amid attacks on energy facilities and shipping routes.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the alliance was not directed against Iran or any other specific country, describing it instead as a general commitment to supporting the security of the three partners.
Saudi authorities investigate incident
The Saudi Energy Ministry said the relevant authorities were continuing procedures related to the fire after it was brought under control.
The ministry did not provide details on the exact cause of the blaze, while the Houthi movement separately claimed that a drone had targeted the refinery.
No injuries have been reported, and Aramco has not indicated any immediate material impact on its broader operations.
