Saudi Arabia responds to US oil accusations

Riyadh denies US claims of weaponizing oil after production cut announcement, OPEC officials said they were doing nothing of the kind

Saudi Arabia responds to US oil accusations

Saudi Arabia responds to US oil accusations

“Show me” the hostile act, Saudi energy minister says in response to claim OPEC weaponized energy

OPEC leaders on Wednesday rejected insinuations that they were weaponizing energy, as Washington accused the organization of “siding with Russia.” The OPEC+ group announced it would be cutting production starting in November, in order to deal with the uncertainty on the global market.

“Are you using energy as a weapon?” Hadley Gamble of CNBC asked the energy minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman at a press conference in Vienna on Wednesday.

“A very provocative question… which I take pleasure in answering, Hadley,” Prince Abdulaziz replied. 

Show me where is the act of belligerence. Period.

“It's clear that OPEC+ is aligning with Russia with today's announcement,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on board Air Force One. 

The White House also released a statement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, who said that President Joe Biden was “disappointed by the shortsighted decision” to cut production, and that Biden will “consult with Congress on additional tools and authorities to reduce OPEC’s control over energy prices.”

“open door” for the EU to discuss energy issues, OPEC Secretary-General Haitham al-Ghais of Kuwait told Gamble “I’m waiting for someone to knock on that door.”

“We are not endangering the energy markets,” al-Ghais added. “We are providing security, stability to the energy markets.”

“At a price?” the CNBC reported interjected.

“Everything has a price. Energy security has a price as well," al-Ghais replied.