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Abqaiq–Khurais attack

Coordinates: 25°55′43″N 49°41′09″E / 25.92861°N 49.68583°E / 25.92861; 49.68583
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2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack
Part of Yemeni Civil War (2015–present), Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, and 2019 Persian Gulf crisis
TypeDrone attack
Location
Saudi Arabia

25°55′43″N 49°41′09″E / 25.92861°N 49.68583°E / 25.92861; 49.68583
TargetSaudi Aramco oil facilities
Date14 September 2019
04:00 local time (UTC+3)
Executed by Houthis (claimed responsibility)
 Iran (alleged without certainty by the United States; denied by Iran)
Outcome
  • Oil refineries damaged
  • ARAMCO oil exports disrupted by 5.7 million barrels a day[1]
  • Saudi stock market plummets, with Saudi oil's continuing to decline[2]
  • Spike in global oil prices[3]
  • ARAMCO to resume oil production weeks after attack[4]
CasualtiesUnknown

The 2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack was a drone attack that targeted the Saudi Aramco oil processing facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais in eastern Saudi Arabia on 14 September 2019. The Houthi movement in Yemen claimed responsibility, though the United States has asserted that Iran was behind the attack. The attack is part of the events surrounding the Saudi Arabian intervention in the Yemeni Civil War.

The attack caused large fires at the refineries which, according to the Saudi Arabian interior ministry, were put out several hours later. Both facilities, however, were shut down until repairs were made, cutting Saudi Arabia's oil production by about half – representing about 5% of global oil production – and causing some destabilization of global financial markets.

Background

Saudi Aramco is a national oil company owned by the Saudi Arabian government; it is the second largest oil producer in the world, behind Russia's Rosneft.[5] Aramco operates several oil drilling, transport, and production facilities across Saudi Arabia. The proven oil reserves in Saudi Arabia are the second largest in the world, ranking second only to Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter.[6]

The Abqaiq facility is described by Aramco as "the largest crude oil stabilization plant in the world"; it converts sour crude into sweet crude oil by removing sulfur impurities before it is transported to downstream refineries, processing upwards of 7 million barrels of oil per day or about 7% of daily global oil production.[7][8] Bob McNally, a former member of the United States' National Economic Council and National Security Council, told Reuters that "a successful attack on Abqaiq would be akin to a massive heart attack for the oil market and global economy".[9] The Abqaiq facility had been the site of a failed suicide bombing by Al-Qaeda in 2006.[7] The Khurais oil field, also operated by Aramco, produces about 1.5 million barrels of crude a day, and is estimated to hold up to 20 billion barrels of oil.[7][1]

Attack

External videos
video icon Fire at Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities after drone attack, via Mehr News Agency

The Saudi interior ministry said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency that "at 4:00 A.M.(01:00 GMT) the industrial security teams of Aramco started dealing with fires at two of its facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais as a result of ... drones". The attack was said to have been carried out by multiple drones, and machine gun fire could be heard on surveillance recordings of the facilities as the guards there fired to try to bring down the drones.[10] The fires were contained a few hours later, with no reported fatalities, though it remains unclear if anyone was injured in the attack.[10]

Attackers

The Saudi Arabian interior ministry did not identify the source of the attack, but began an investigation.[10]

Houthi claim

The Houthis issued a statement hours after the attack, claiming responsibility for sending ten drones to disable the oil production facilities, and vowing to widen the range of targets in Saudi Arabia in retaliation for the Western-backed Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen,[10][11] where approximately 14 million people face starvation.[12] The Saudi-led coalition is trying to overthrow the Houthis and reinstate the former government of ousted fugitive president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, while the Houthis seek international recognition of their government.[10][7][13]

In the weeks prior, there had been similar drone attacks on the Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure, but without significant damage or impact.[10] The Houthis have asserted that these attacks are their right in retaliation for airstrikes and other attacks in Yemen from the Saudi-led coalition.[9] In their statement on the oil production attack, a military spokesman for the Houthis said that "These attacks are our right, and we promise the Saudi regime that the next operation will be wider and more painful if the blockade and aggression continues".[7][14] He added that the attacks came after a "careful intelligence operation, prior monitoring and cooperation from honorable and freedom-seeking people within the kingdom".[15][16] The Houthis said they used newly developed drones for the attack.[17] On 16 September, Houthis warned of more attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure on 16 September, and warned foreigners to leave Saudi oil plants.[18][19] The Houthis had displayed some of their long-range UAVs to the media in July 2019. The range of the drones can reach far-reached areas in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.[20][21][22]

Iran allegations

An unnamed senior US official said the attack involved some dozen cruise missiles and more than 20 drones.[23] The United States said that it is working with Saudi Arabia to help investigate the attack and assure the facilities and energy supplies are secure and stable; United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted that Iran was behind the attacks.[1][24] Iran denied the accusations and said that they were "blind, incomprehensible and meaningless"[13] and warned the U.S. that it was "ready for fully-fledged war" with them.[25] However, to this date, the US has provided no evidence whatsoever to back up its claim that Iran conducted the attack.

A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, Royal Saudi Air Force Colonel Turki al-Malki, issued a statement on 16 September asserting that the drones appear to have been based on Iranian weaponry and that they were unlikely to have been launched from Yemen, counter to the claims of the Houthi. However, al-Malki said the coalition was still trying to determine the origin for the drones.[26]

Iraq allegations

According to a report by the Middle East Eye, an anonymous Iraqi intelligence official said the attacks were launched from Southern Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces bases in retaliation to Saudi-funded Israeli drone strikes on the Iraqi forces in August.[27] A CBS correspondent stated that the damage at the Abqaiq facilities reportedly was on the western-northwestern portions, which would have been difficult for the Houthis, located to the southwest, to have hit with drones.[28] The BBC reported that satellite images showed damage on the western side of Abqaiq.[29]

An attack from the northwest could conceivably have been launched from Southern Iraq or Saudi Arabia itself. An attack from the west could only have been launched from inside Saudi Arabia. But an attack from the west or northwest completely rules out Iran. A video on Youtube taken by a Kuwaiti fisherman showed the sound and trail of a large object speeding towards Saudi Arabia. The fisherman thought that the sound and trail was of a cruise missile. Some US intelligence sources also said that the attack from pro-Iranian militia bases in Iraq and that the attack involved cruise missiles.

The office of the Prime Minister of Iraq denied that its territory was used to carry out the Saudi Aramco attacks and vowed to act "decisively" against those using Iraqi territory to attack other countries.[30] The United States has also stated that Iraqi territory was not used.[31]

Aftermath

Market impacts

Saudi Arabian officials stated that the attacks forced the shutdown of the facilities, cutting the country's oil production from 9.8 to about 4.1 million barrels of oil a day, losing 5.7 million barrels of oil a day or about 5% of daily global production. Initially, spokespersons stated that the plants were expected to return to their nominal capacity by 16 September 2019, and would use reserve oil to make up for the shortfall.[1] However, other officials for the Saudi government estimated the time to restore full production would be "weeks, not days".[32]

The day after the attack, the Saudi stock market fell 2.3% in Sunday trading.[33] Upon global markets opening on 16 September, Brent Crude oil futures prices surged almost 20 percent,[32] the largest surge in the commodity's price since the 1990 Invasion of Kuwait.[34] Other markets also saw impacts from concerns on the oil supply, including United States gasoline and heating oil,[32] and the gold market.[35] U.S. President Donald Trump authorised the release of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help stabilize energy prices in the United States.[32][36] Trump further stated that the United States is no longer dependent on oil from the Middle East, though that they have oil tankers in the region to help their allies.[37]

On Monday, 16 September, oil prices spiked after worldwide trading began. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, rose 19.5% to $71.95 per barrel at the opening. This was considered the biggest disruption in oil prices since the 1991 Gulf war.[3][38]

Saudi Aramco, which currently is owned by the Saudi government, had been in the initial stages of planning its initial public offering (IPO) of about 5% of the company ownership of the estimated US$1.5 to 2 trillion valuation of the company over the next few years. This IPO was originally to have started in 2018 but there were concerns about its finances and corporate structure. Industry analysts believe the September 2019 attacks will further delay this IPO until new concerns related to security against terrorism attacks and the ability to restore production after such an incident are proven out, as well as the impact on the price of oil.[39] Saudi Aramco later stated that recovery from the attack is not going to be as fast as initially expected, further putting the IPO at risk of further delay.[40]

Political impacts

The attacks raised concern over the political stability in the Middle East, coupled with the United States' stance that the attacks may have originated from Iran.[41] U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Twitter that the U.S. military is "locked and loaded" but is waiting to hear from the Saudis as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, "and under what terms we would proceed".[42] Trump later said that he didn't promise to protect the Saudis but will have to sit with them and "work something out".[43]

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg "strongly condemned" the attacks and accused Iran of "supporting different terrorist groups and being responsible for destabilising the whole region."[44]

Russian foreign ministry stated that it is unacceptable to discuss possible retaliation and added that it is "counterproductive to use what happened to increase tensions around Iran for the attacks in line with the well-known U.S. policy".[45] Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to sell Saudi Arabia the advanced S-400 missile defense system.[46] Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked about the U.S. accusations that Iran was behind drone strikes, said: "We have a negative attitude towards rising tensions in the region and call for all countries in the region and outside of it to avoid any hasty steps or conclusions which may deepen destabilisation."[47]

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, said that while there is no "conclusive investigation", it is irresponsible to blame anyone for the attack, "we call on relevant parties avoid taking actions that bring about an escalation in regional tensions", she added.[48]

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that "Yemeni people are exercising their legitimate right of defence ... the attacks were a reciprocal response to aggression against Yemen for years."[46]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: "We have to look at how the conflict in Yemen started. This country was completely destroyed - who caused it?"[49]

Related security issues

On 15 September 2019, the Cabinet of Kuwait said it was probing the sighting of a drone over its territory and coordinating with Saudi Arabia, and other countries, after the attacks. Kuwait has also increased its security as a result of the attack.[50][51]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Said, Summer; Malsin, Jared; Donati, Jessica (14 September 2019). "U.S. Blames Iran for Attack on Saudi Oil Facilities". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Saudi stocks fall sharply after attacks on oil facilities".
  3. ^ a b "Biggest oil price surge since 1991 as 'locked and loaded' U.S..." Reuters. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  4. ^ Razzouk, Nayla; Blas, Javier; Thornhill, James. "Speed of Saudi Oil Recovery In Focus After Record Supply Loss". www.bloomberg.com.
  5. ^ Suadi Arabia - Overview (PDF) (Report). Energy Information Administration. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Buyers of Saudi oil scramble for alternatives, U.S. exports ramp up". Reuters. 16 September 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Houthi drone attacks on 2 Saudi Aramco oil facilities spark fires". www.aljazeera.com.
  8. ^ "Drone strikes set Saudi oil facilities ablaze". BBC News. 14 September 2019 – via www.bbc.com.
  9. ^ a b "Major Saudi Arabia oil facilities hit by Houthi drone strikes". The Guardian. Associated Press. 14 September 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Gambrell, Jon (14 September 2019). "Yemen's Houthi rebels launch drones on 2 big Saudi oil sites". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  11. ^ "Houthi drone attacks on 2 Saudi Aramco oil facilities spark fires". Al Jazeera. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  12. ^ "Two Major Saudi Oil Installations Hit by Drone Strike, and U.S. Blames Iran". The New York Times. 14 September 2019.
  13. ^ a b "US blames Iran for attacks on Saudi oil facilities". BBC News. 15 September 2019.
  14. ^ "Yemen's Houthi rebels claim a 'large-scale' drone attack on Saudi oil facilities". CNN.
  15. ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Houthis claim responsibility for the attacks on Saudi Aramco". DW.COM. Retrieved 16 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "US military preparing response to Saudi oil attacks: Pentagon chief". PressTV. 16 September 2019.
  17. ^ CNN, Arabic. "الحوثيون: استهدفنا منشأتي أرامكو بـ"درونز" مختلفة.. ونحذر الشركات الأجنبية". arabic.cnn.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 September 2019. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ "Trump Says Iran Appears Responsible for Saudi Attack but That He Wants to Avoid War - The New York Times".
  19. ^ "Yemen's military warns foreigners to leave Saudi oil plants". PressTV. 16 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Saudi Arabia: Drone attacks knocked out half its oil supply". 15 September 2019 – via The Economic Times.
  21. ^ Binnie, Jeremy (8 July 2019). "Yemeni rebels unveil cruise missile, long-range UAVs". Jane's Defence Weekly. IHS. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  22. ^ https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-09-13/drone-attacks-strike-major-saudi-oil-facility
  23. ^ Iran fired cruise missiles in attack on Saudi oil facility: Senior US official, ABC, 15 September 2019
  24. ^ "The Latest: Trump calls Saudi crown prince after attack". Washington Post.
  25. ^ "Iran says it's ready for war with US after Saudi oil attack accusations". Sky News. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  26. ^ "Evidence indicates Iranian arms used in Saudi attack, say Saudis". Reuters. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  27. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Iranian drones launched from Iraq carried out attacks on Saudi oil plants". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  28. ^ "Iran slams American "lies" after U.S. accuses it of "unprecedented attack" on Saudi oil". Associated Press. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019 – via CBS News.
  29. ^ "Saudi oil attacks: US says intelligence shows Iran involved". BBC. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  30. ^ "Iraq Prime Minister: Iraq territory not used in Saudi attacks". 15 September 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  31. ^ "Iraq says U.S. does not believe Iraqi territory used to launch..." Reuters. 16 September 2019 – via www.reuters.com.
  32. ^ a b c d Kumar, Devika Krishna (15 September 2019). "Oil Prices Surge 15% after Attack on Saudi Facilities Hits Global Supply". Reuters. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  33. ^ Saudi stock market dives, crude futures to jump after drone attack on oil plants, CNBC, 15 September 2019
  34. ^ "Oil prices soar after attacks halve Saudi output". Financial Times. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  35. ^ Pandey, Swati (15 September 2019). "Oil surges, stock futures slip after attack on Saudi facility". Reuters. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  36. ^ Conradis, Brandon (15 September 2019). "Trump authorizes use of emergency oil reserve after Saudi attacks". TheHill. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  37. ^ Jackson, David (16 September 2019). "Pondering response to Iran, Donald Trump says US doesn't need Middle East oil". USA Today. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  38. ^ "Oil up 10% on Saudi attacks, stockpile hopes pare early gains". Reuters. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  39. ^ Turak, Natasha (16 September 2019). "New security fears jeopardize Saudi Aramco's public stock offering following attack". CNBC. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  40. ^ Kennedy, Will. "Aramco Less Optimistic on Pace of Oil Output Recovery". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  41. ^ Safi, Michael; Wearden, Graeme (16 September 2019). "Everything you need to know about the Saudi Arabia oil attacks". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  42. ^ "Trump says U.S. 'locked and loaded' for potential response to Saudi..." Reuters. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  43. ^ Toosi, Nahal. "Trump's deference to Saudi Arabia infuriates much of D.C." POLITICO.
  44. ^ "NATO chief 'extremely concerned' after attacks on Saudi". France 24. 16 September 2019.
  45. ^ "Russia Says Unacceptable to Discuss Retaliation to Saudi Attacks". Haaretz. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  46. ^ a b "Putin proposes Russian missile defence for Saudi after oil attack". Al-Jazeera. 16 September 2019.
  47. ^ "Kremlin warns against 'hasty conclusions' over attacks in Saudi Arabia". Reuters. 16 September 2019.
  48. ^ "China says can't apportion blame for Saudi attack without facts". Reuters. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  49. ^ "On Saudi attacks, Erdogan: We have to look at how the Yemen conflict started". Al Arabiya English. 17 September 2019.
  50. ^ "Kuwait investigates drone sighting following attacks on Saudi Aramco". Arabian Business. 16 September 2019.
  51. ^ "Kuwait says it's probing drone sighting, working with Riyadh". Reuters. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
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