Iran has struck Kuwait’s largest oil refinery twice in less than 24 hours setting it ablaze on the morning of Eid-el-Fitr as the three week-old Middle East conflict shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.
Kuwait said on Friday 20th March, 2026 its Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery again came under attack by Iranian drones, sparking fires at several of its units. The refinery had already been hit Thursday, sparking fires. Kuwait said firefighters on Friday were trying to control the blazes and there were no immediate injuries from the attack.
Kuwait’s state oil firm KPC confirmed its Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery was hit by multiple drone attacks causing massive fire in some units, with no initial casualties reported.
The Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery is one of the biggest in the Middle East, with a petroleum production capacity of 730,000 barrels per day a critical component of Kuwait’s $16 billion Clean Fuels Project which upgraded the facility to produce high value ultra low sulfur products that meet international environmental standards.
The attacks on Kuwait are part of a dramatic and escalating wave of Iranian strikes targeting energy infrastructure across the entire Gulf region. Iran intensified its attacks on Gulf Arab neighbours’ energy infrastructure on Thursday, setting Qatari liquefied natural gas facilities and the Kuwaiti oil refinery ablaze as retaliation following an Israeli attack on Iran’s main natural gas field a major escalation that sent global fuel prices soaring.
Saudi Arabia reported shooting down multiple drones targeting its oil rich Eastern Province.
Iran’s new Supreme Leader made his most combative public statement yet in the middle of all of this. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei who succeeded his father Ali Khamenei killed in the opening strikes of the war on February 28 called Friday for the enemies of his nation to have their “security taken away.” The remarks came in a statement issued on his behalf and sent to President Masoud Pezeshkian, following Israel’s killing of Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib earlier this week.
Khamenei has not been seen publicly since assuming the role.
