IRGC says Iran has hit Saudi petrochemical hub at Jubail

Iran on Tuesday attacked Saudi Arabia's Jubail petrochemical complex, the heart of the kingdom's downstream sector, its Revolutionary Guards said, the latest evidence of Tehran's ability to strike back in response to U.S.-Israeli attacks ahead of a U.S. deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz or face annihilation.

Iran said the attack was in response to attacks against its Asaluyeh petrochemical plants, which are connected to its massive South Pars gas field and were reportedly hit by multiple explosions overnight.

U.S. President Donald Trump's ultimatum to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz oil chokepoint by the end of Tuesday or face bombing of civilian infrastructure would be the biggest escalation yet of the war. Iran has warned it would target similar infrastructure in the Gulf. Hormuz's closure has sent global energy prices surging.

Iran has shown it retains the ability to strike targets in neighbouring countries and effectively shut transit through the Strait, previously a conduit for a fifth of global oil supply. That has inflicted costs on the U.S. and Israel, which began the war by attacking Iran on February 28.

Jubail, a sprawling industrial city, houses multi-billion dollar joint ventures between state-backed oil giant Saudi Aramco and its petrochemical subsidiary SABIC, and Western energy majors.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the attacks were "in response to the enemy's crimes in the aggression against (Iran's) Asaluyeh petrochemical plants," which had reportedly been hit by several explosions overnight.

It was not immediately clear which facility or facilities were hit in Saudi Arabia. Video footage verified by Reuters showed smoke and flames rising from the direction of Jubail.

The IRGC said in a statement it had "effectively targeted with medium-range missiles and several suicide drones" the Sadara complex, a $20 billion joint venture between Aramco and Dow that was shut last week, and other facilities in Jubail including one belonging to ExxonMobil. 

The IRGC also said it hit a petrochemical facility in nearby Juaymah. However, it indicated the facility was owned by Chevron Phillips and the company does not appear to have any facilities there, but rather in Jubail.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry earlier said that air defences intercepted and destroyed seven ballistic missiles launched towards the kingdom's eastern region, adding that debris from the intercepted missiles fell near energy facilities.

Aramco declined to comment on reported attacks in Jubail and Juaymah. The Saudi government communications office and SABIC did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.