Saudi Arabia says oil supply to continue to flow despite Riyadh attacks

Saudi Arabia has pledged that global crude supplies will remain uninterrupted despite repeated aerial strikes targeting its capital, according to reports from The National. Speaking at the opening of the WPC Energy Congress on Monday, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman sought to calm concerns across the global energy sector, declaring that the kingdom remains steadfast and fully committed to fulfilling its export obligations.

The minister address arrived after King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was hit by projectiles four times over a five-day stretch. A missile strike on the transport hub on Saturday resulted in 12 deaths and left 309 individuals wounded, Saudi officials confirmed, while a subsequent hit on Sunday evening caused one additional fatality and injured 11 people. The Saudi-led military coalition operating in Yemen attributed Saturday's strike to Iran-aligned Houthi militants. Following the strikes, authorities extended the temporary halt of operations at the Riyadh airport.

Despite the heightened security situation linked to broader regional tensions involving Iran, Saudi Arabia continued with its schedule of major international energy conferences. In addition to the WPC Energy Congress, which the kingdom is hosting for the first time, Riyadh convened ministerial discussions for the International Energy Forum on Sunday. Prince Abdulaziz framed the city as a center of global energy security, telling attendees that while holding the events demonstrated stability, it did not imply that threats had vanished.

The recent strikes have intensified scrutiny over the kingdom's logistical endurance, particularly given rising security hazards near vital maritime shipping routes including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab Al Mandeb strait. Prince Abdulaziz noted that the nation has prepared for crises through sustained investments in fuel reserves, system redundancies, and secondary transport corridors. He pointed specifically to the East-West pipeline, which links eastern production zones to the Red Sea terminal at Yanbu, providing a route to circumvent the Persian Gulf.

Operations along that pipeline had been temporarily paused following Houthi strikes in September, but output rebounded to approximately 5.8 million barrels per day by October 6, nearing its full capacity of around seven million barrels daily. Emphasizing the value of technical personnel, the minister credited local teams with rapidly repairing infrastructure and restoring vital flows during operational pauses.

Markets have reacted to the growing regional instability, with Brent crude trading near $104 per barrel on Monday amid the Riyadh attacks and incidents involving two tankers near Oman and the Strait of Hormuz. Prince Abdulaziz acknowledged the gravity of the recent security incidents, promising that the kingdom would take an equally serious approach while sustaining oil deliveries to partners both at home and abroad.