Aramco halts operations at the Abqaiq oil processing complex; Brent shows a muted reaction at $87.51

Eghtesad Online reported in the early hours of Tuesday, 28 July 2026 (6 Mordad 1405), that Saudi Aramco has halted operations at Abqaiq, its largest oil processing complex, following drone attacks, and has begun emergency flaring at several oil production sites. Abqaiq is regarded as the world's largest crude oil stabilisation facility.

On Monday, 27 July, Yemen's armed forces said they had targeted centres supplying and transporting crude oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to the port of Yanbu, and Riyadh confirmed an attack on oil facilities in the Eastern Province. Saudi Arabia attributed the attack to Iran-backed groups in Iraq, a charge the Islamic Resistance in Iraq denied and which Baghdad has begun investigating.

The oil market's reaction was nonetheless muted: on Tuesday, 28 July, Brent was recorded at $87.51 a barrel, down 0.49 percent, and West Texas Intermediate at $81.73, down 0.36 percent. Brent had already fallen to $87.76 on Monday after the mutual pause in US and Iranian strikes. Assessing the extent of the damage and the length of the shutdown is the main variable for this event's effect on the world oil market.