Saudi energy minister Prince AbdulAziz bin Salman refused to take questions from a Reuters correspondent on Wednesday at the OPEC+ press conference, stating that the news agency had relied on anonymous sources instead of an official spokesman.
“You’ve got it wrong twice and you’ll get it wrong the third time,” Prince Salman said in a video shared on social media, referring to an article that was published by Reuters about Saudi Arabia and Russia cooperating on targeting $100 per barrel oil.
“The day your story came out, no one from Russia talked to me nor I talked to anyone in Russia,” the energy minister noted, adding that he was misquoted in Reuters’ reports twice, despite speaking to a Dubai correspondent from the agency about how Saudi Arabia does not believe in price targeting.
“You as Reuters did not do a proper job,” the prince said.
He added, “I’m not talking to Reuters until you respect the source, which is the energy minister himself on behalf of the Saudi government.”
Yesterday, OPEC+ announced the highest crude oil production cuts since the pandemic, despite repeated calls from US to increase output. Saudi Arabia said the output cuts were necessary to respond to rising interest rates in the West and a weakening global economy.
Commenting on the production cuts, a White House official said President Biden was “disappointed by the shortsighted decision” and his administration would “consult Congress on additional tools and authorities to reduce OPEC’s control over energy prices”.