Iran strikes Saudi Arabia's Samref refinery, oil and gas sites in Kuwait

Iran has launched retaliatory drone attacks on multiple energy infrastructure sites across West Asia, targeting oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE. A drone struck Saudi Arabia's Samref refinery in Yanbu on the Red Sea, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil that processes over 400,000 barrels per day of Arabian light crude oil. The Saudi defence ministry confirmed the strike and stated that damage assessment is underway. Two oil refineries in Kuwait were also hit by drones, while overnight Iranian attacks targeted natural gas sites in Qatar and the UAE, causing global energy prices to spike. Iran is retaliating against an Israeli strike on Wednesday that hit its South Pars natural gas field in the Persian Gulf. The attacks extend to Saudi Arabia's Red Sea assets, which the kingdom has been using to transport crude oil via pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which remains under Iranian threat.