Oil tanks at an oil processing facility at Saudi Aramco, a state-owned oil and gas company in Saudi Arabia, in the Abqaiq oil field.
Stanislav Krasilnikov | TASS via Getty Images
Brent crude futures, an international benchmark, burst during Monday’s Asian trading session, moving above $ 70 a barrel for the first time in more than a year.
The spike in oil prices came after Saudi Arabia said its oil facilities were targeted by missiles and drones on Sunday. A military spokesman for Houthi took responsibility for the attacks.
Brent jumped 2.65% to trade at $ 71.20, while American oil futures rose 2.56% to $ 67.78.
The Saudi Arabian energy ministry said an oil tank farm in one of the world’s largest oil transportation ports was attacked by a drone and a ballistic missile was targeting Saudi Aramco’s facilities, according to the agency. state news SPA.
These acts of sabotage target not only the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but also the security and stability of the energy supply to the world and, therefore, the global economy.
Saudi Arabian Ministry of Energy
spokesman
A spokesman said that none of the attacks caused injuries or loss of life or property, but shrapnel from the intercepted missile fell near residential areas in the city of Dhahran, SPA reported.
“Such acts of sabotage are aimed not only at the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but also at the security and stability of the supply of energy to the world and, therefore, the global economy,” the ministry said through state media. “They affect the security of oil exports, freedom of world trade and sea traffic.”
Yahya Sare’e, a spokesman for the Houthis of Yemen, said she had carried out a “wide-ranging joint offensive operation” involving 14 drones and eight ballistic missiles.
He said on Twitter that other military sites were also targeted by four drones and seven ballistic missiles, adding that “the hit was accurate”.
“We promise the #Saudi painful regime operations, while continuing their aggression and blockade in our country, “he said in another post.
A coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015 and continued to fight the Houthis in what is seen as a proxy war with Iran.
The Houthis have reportedly intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks.
The Biden government said last month that it would remove Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen from the lists of Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, according to NBC News.