Saudi sources said Thursday morning that an oil facility belonging to Saudi Aramco was attacked in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, in what appears to be another Iranian retaliatory move against Arab Gulf states amid the war involving their ally, the U.S., alongside Israel, against the Islamic Republic.
The reports came hours after Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan sharply condemned Iranian strikes on his country, as well as on Qatar and the UAE, declaring that any remaining trust in relations with Tehran had been “completely shattered.”
According to the Saudi sources, the Iranian attack on the Yanbu facility caused relatively minor damage. The strike followed earlier Iranian attacks on energy sites in Qatar and the UAE, actions Tehran had warned it would carry out in retaliation for Israeli strikes on its own petrochemical facilities in southern Iran. Yanbu is one of the largest crude oil export hubs for Arab Gulf states, especially since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of the war.
Early Thursday, bin Farhan said Riyadh reserves the right to respond using "diplomatic and otherwise" means, including military action, to what he called the Islamic Republic’s “hostile behavior.”
Bin Frhan said that Iran’s insistence on violating the principles of good neighboring undermines regional trust in it, adding that the attacks carried out the previous evening were premeditated, further deepening Tehran’s regional isolation.
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Iran’s warning yesterday to those near energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE: 'Evacuate'
Iranian attacks against its neighbors will have consequences, and escalation will be met with escalation, bin Farhan added. Iran’s continued hostile conduct prevents it from being a legitimate partner, he said. He added that there are currently no talks underway to end the war and that he does not know when it might conclude.
The Saudi minister again warned Tehran of a possible response, one that Gulf states targeted by Iran have so far avoided. “If Iran believes Gulf states are incapable of responding, they are wrong,” he said.
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Smoke rises over Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, following an Iranian attack
(Photo: Reuters/Stringer)
Bin Farhan also addressed what he described as Iran’s effective blockade of foreign shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s busiest oil transit route, saying any threat to freedom of navigation requires “collective action.”
His remarks come as European countries have refused calls by U.S. President Donald Trump to join efforts to push Iranian forces out of the strait and reopen it. The Saudi minister added that Iran must also immediately halt its support for proxy groups across the region.
Before noon Thursday, Reuters reported that Arab Gulf states had requested an urgent session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva following Iran’s attacks on civilians and energy infrastructure across the Middle East.
In their request, the countries described Iran’s launches of ballistic missiles and drones toward Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE as a situation posing “serious concern for global security and peace,” with severe human rights implications.
They emphasized that the attacks were carried out by Iran without any provocation on their part, although they had guaranteed that their territories would not be used to launch hostile actions against Iran.