Iran Has Attacked A Strategically Important Refinery In Saudi Arabia

• 19.03.2026, 11:04

The Red Sea plant could export products bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has attacked the SAMREF refinery on the Red Sea, the only refinery that could export its products to other markets bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

It was reported by Reuters.

The SAMREF refinery of oil giant Saudi Aramco in the Red Sea port of Yanbu was targeted in an air attack. A Reuters source emphasized that the impact of the shelling was minimal.

Iran's IRGC had earlier issued an evacuation warning to several oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, including SAMREF.

Yanbu is now the only export point for any crude oil from Gulf Arab countries, as Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil supply normally flows.