Riyadh, March 19, 2026 — Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry announced that a drone struck the SAMREF oil refinery in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
The facility is a joint venture between state-owned Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil. Officials stated that a damage assessment is currently underway. Industry sources reported the aerial attack caused minimal impact, with no significant disruption or casualties.
The strike forms part of a wave of Iranian retaliatory actions targeting Gulf energy sites. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had earlier issued evacuation warnings for facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, explicitly naming SAMREF, following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian energy installations including the South Pars gas field.
Yanbu, located on Saudi Arabia’s western Red Sea coast, has become a key alternative export route for crude oil via pipeline amid disruptions elsewhere in the region. No injuries were reported in the incident. Global markets are closely monitoring developments for any potential effects on energy supply.