US-Saudi Ties Strained as OPEC+ Cuts Oil Output

Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's energy minister. Photographer: Akos Stiller/Bloomberg

The US reaction to OPEC+’s decision last week to cut oil production was blunt as well as swift. The group, according to the White House, was “aligning with Russia.”

President Joe Biden, desperate to bring down gasoline prices for American motorists before mid-term elections next month, said it was a “shortsighted decision” at a time many nations are “reeling from elevated energy’’ costs.