Saudi Arabia in the firing line

The oil facility attacks highlight potentially fatal vulnerabilities in Saudi Arabia’s critical infrastructure

Oil prices retrenched as the prospect of a full-blown war with Iran—blamed by both Saudi Arabia and a sanctions expanding Trump administration in Washington for the c.25 armed drones and cruise missiles assault on the world’s largest oil stabilisation plant at Abqaiq and Khurais, the kingdom’s second-largest oilfield situated about 200km (124 miles) southwest of Abqaiq—receded.  Some analysts hail Saudi Aramco’s ability to restore calm in the aftermath of the incident. “Despite the damaging attacks, it is remarkable how resilient the Saudi infrastructure is proving to be,” says Jan Kalicki, an energy security expert at the Wilson Center, a Washington-based thinktank.   “About half is to be r