Key points
- Iran retaliates with regional missile attacks
- Aramco suspends Ras Tanura operations
- Oil prices surge amid Gulf tensions
ISLAMABAD: Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah virtually participated on Sunday in the 50th Extraordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with the participation of GCC foreign ministers, to discuss developments related to Iran’s blatant attacks against GCC countries.
At the outset of the meeting, the foreign ministers reiterated their strongest condemnation and denunciation of the flagrant and unjustified attacks carried out by Iran against GCC states, stressing the right of GCC states to take all necessary measures and mobilize all available capabilities to protect their security and stability.
Earlier, the United States carried out strikes on hundreds of sites across Iran, while Israel widened its air campaign into Lebanon on Monday, as President Donald Trump pledged to retaliate for American casualties in the conflict aimed at removing Tehran’s leadership.
Iranian forces
In response, Iranian forces launched missiles and drones across the Middle East, resulting in fatalities in Israel and the United Arab Emirates, following the hostilities that erupted on Saturday after the reported death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil company, Aramco, has temporarily suspended operations at its Ras Tanura refinery after a drone strike, an industry source said on Monday.
The move follows a series of retaliatory strikes by Tehran across the region in response to US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Situated on the Kingdom’s Gulf coast, the Ras Tanura facility houses one of the region’s largest refineries, with a daily processing capacity of 550,000 barrels, and also serves as a key export hub for Saudi crude.
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Reuters reported that the halt in operations was taken as a precautionary measure, with officials indicating that the situation remains under control. Aramco has not yet released an official statement.
The drone attack forms part of a wider pattern of incidents impacting Gulf states, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Manama and Oman’s commercial port of Duqm.
The developments have disrupted major shipping routes in the UAE and Oman, pushing Brent crude futures up by about 10% on Monday.
