Satellite imagery confirmed that Tuesday’s Houthi missile strike on Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura complex damaged a refinery processing unit, sending December WTI crude futures up 2.88%, or $2.88, to settle at $102.78 a barrel on Wednesday while Brent crude climbed past $116. Later Wednesday, a Saudi spokesperson said air defenses intercepted another ballistic missile fired from Yemen toward the kingdom’s Eastern Province as explosions were heard near Ras Tanura.
The Tuesday strike marked the first time the Houthis targeted the 550,000 BPD Ras Tanura refinery and Persian Gulf export terminal during the 2026 conflict. It followed failed Oct 26 ceasefire talks in Iran where the group demanded Riyadh lift its blockade of Houthi-controlled airports and rejected a reported $1 billion Saudi offer to halt attacks. Alongside the East-West crude pipeline to the Red Sea, which the Houthis also claimed to have attacked this week, Ras Tanura is one of Saudi Arabia’s two primary oil export routes.
