Saudi Arabia defends oil supply cuts as prices hit fresh high
The TelegraphOpec’s leader claims its massive oil production cuts are no different to the actions of central banks, as oil prices hit a fresh 10-month high. Saudi Arabia’s energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on Monday defended Opec+ cuts to global supply as the price of Brent crude approached $95 per barrel. Oil prices have surged by more than 30pc since late June and are at their highest level since November 2022, following extended supply cuts by Saudi Arabia and Russia. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia, which leads the Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Nations cartel, surprised markets by extending its 1m barrels per day supply cut, which began in July, until the end of the year. But Opec’s own analysis last week pointed to a major oil shortfall of 3.3m barrels per day over the next three months as global demand outstrips supply.