World Petroleum Council Congress opens in Riyadh following fatal Houthi attack

The 25th World Petroleum Council Energy Congress began in Riyadh on October 11, 2026, despite a Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport, Al Jazeera reported. According to Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation, the attack killed 12 people and injured 309. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy confirmed that the main event and the sideline 17th International Energy Forum Ministerial are moving forward during Riyadh Energy Week, which runs through October 15. [1]

The international summit is experiencing changes in participant attendance due to the security situation. Al Jazeera reported that Italy, a cohost of the International Energy Forum, is attending the summit through videolink. Nigeria, the other cohost for the forum, is sending a representative to the meeting in person. [1]

The ongoing regional instability comes amid broader global energy disruption. As FTMQ News reported earlier, crude oil prices experienced sharp fluctuations, with Brent crude reaching 102.35 dollars a barrel. The International Energy Agency previously described the current market disruption as the largest supply shock in global oil history, which contributed to United States average gas prices rising to 4.37 dollars a gallon. [4][5]

Fossil fuels generate 81 percent of global energy supplies, Al Jazeera reported. Iran, a key nation in the regional conflict, borders the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and has a population exceeding 92 million people. [1][2]