Aramco oil production halts temporarily: Saudi energy minister

The Saudi energy minister said that oil production at Riyadh's two Saudi Aramco plants attacked by Yemeni Army has temporarily stopped, interrupting about half of the company's total daily oil output.

Iran Press/Middle East: Saudi energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the attacks have led to the interruption of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of crude or about 50 percent of total company production.

The Saudi minister also explained that the explosions stopped production of an estimated 2 billion cubic feet of petrochemical compounds per day that are used to produce 700 thousand barrels of natural gas liquids, reducing the supply of ethane and other natural gases by some 50 percent, Sputnik reported.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, however, claimed that the attack has not resulted in any impact on the supply of electricity and water, or on the supply of fuel to the local market, nor has it resulted in injuries among workers at these sites, although the company is assessing the impact.

The Saudi energy minister also emphasized that the attacks are an extension of a recent Yemeni Army campaign targeting oil facilities.

Saudi Aramco, a state-owned fossil fuel giant, operates and controls the majority of the kingdom's refinery production and oilfields.

Fires hit the Abqaiq oil refinery, a gated production facility and living community in the nation's Eastern Province, as well as an oil-processing facility near the Khurais oil field, located 100 miles east of Riyadh.

Yemeni Army rection to the attacks

Yemeni Army claimed the responsibility for the attacks.

According to a statement from the Yemeni army spokesman, the army attacked the Abqaiq and Khurais oil refineries with 10 drones, the biggest Yemeni Army operation within Saudi territory to date.

The Yemeni army spokesman said the drone strikes were in response to the ongoing Saudi airstrikes and war crimes in Yemen, as well as the ongoing Saudi blockade of Yemen.

The spokesman also warned Saudi Arabia that Yemeni airstrikes will be expanded and many more targets will be hit if Riyadh continues with its war of aggression and total blockade of Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and US reactions to the attacks

Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman told US President Donald Trump during a Saturday phone call that the kingdom is willing and able to confront and deal with this terrorist aggression.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo falsely blamed Iran for the attacks on Saudi Aramco oil fields and urged the international community "to publicly and unequivocally condemn the attacks".

Yemeni Army previously carried out a drone attack on Riyadh's Shaybah oil field and refinery.

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