Saudi Aramco’s SAMREF refinery in Yanbu was targeted in an aerial attack with minimal impact, as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued evacuation warnings for regional oil facilities.

YANBU: An aerial attack targeted the SAMREF oil refinery in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu on Thursday. An industry source said the incident caused only minimal impact.

The refinery is a joint venture between Saudi energy giant Saudi Aramco and Exxon Mobil. Saudi Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued an evacuation warning for several oil facilities across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar on the same day. The SAMREF facility was among those named in the warning.

Yanbu is currently the only export outlet for crude oil from Gulf Arab countries. Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway it shares with Oman.

Normally, a fifth of the world’s oil supply flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The closure has forced a major rerouting of global energy shipments.

 The Sun Malaysia