Saudi defence ministry spokesman displays missiles allegedly used to attack an Aramco oil facility
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
Also in this section
1 August 2025
A number of companies have filed arbitration claims against Gazprom over non-deliveries of contracted gas or other matters—and won. The next step is to collect the award; this is no easy task but it can be done thanks to an international legal framework under the New York Convention.
1 August 2025
Europe’s refining sector is desperately trying to adapt to a shifting global energy landscape and nowhere is this more apparent than in its largest economy
1 August 2025
The Middle East natural gas playbook is being rewritten. The fuel source offers the region a pathway to a cleaner, sustainable and affordable means of local power, to fasttrack economic development and as a lucrative opportunity to better monetise its energy resources.
31 July 2025
TotalEnergies is an outlier among other majors for remaining committed to low-carbon investments while continuing to replenish and expand its ample oil and gas portfolio, with an appetite for high risk/high return projects.
