[Riyadh / Dubai / London 14th Reuters]-Two oil facilities of Saudi Aramco, a state-run oil company in eastern Saudi Arabia, were attacked on the 14th. This will affect more than half of Saudi oil production capacity. Yemen ’s pro-Iranian armed organization, the Husi faction, issued a criminal statement that it had attacked with drones. Crude oil prices may rise and tensions in the Middle East may increase further.
Aramco said that Saudi oil production would decrease by 5.7 million barrels per day. This is equivalent to more than 5% of the world oil supply.
Despite the fact that the Husi faction made a statement about the attack, US Secretary of State Pompeo condemned Iran. “There is no evidence that the attack is from Yemen. Despite all the calls for relief, Iran has made an unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply,” he posted on Twitter.
According to the state-run Saudi news agency (SPA), Prince Muhammad bin Salman talked to US President Trump over the phone, explaining that Saudi "has the willingness and ability to confront and deal with this terrorist attack."
The US condemned the attack. According to the White House, President Trump told Prince Saudi that he was ready to cooperate to ensure the safety of Saudi. The US Department of Energy said it was ready to release strategic oil reserves as needed. US Energy Secretary Perry has expressed his intention to cooperate with the International Energy Agency (IEA) if global action is needed.
The drones were attacked at two Aramco facilities in Abkhaik and Klais in eastern Saudi Arabia. Aramco's CEO, Nasser, explained that he was in control of the situation, saying there were no casualties due to the attack. According to Reuters sightings, Abkaik's facility was extinguished by night.
Saudi Minister of Energy Abdul Aziz said Aramco will continue to use inventory for the time being. Aramco is currently planning an initial public offering (IPO), the world's largest prospect.