President Biden (left) with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his trip to Saudi Arabia
Letter from the Middle East: Opec balances Russia and the West
The cartel is happy to wait for further developments before committing to more drastic action
US president Joe Biden seems to have come away from his first diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia in July empty-handed, with the Opec+ alliance in early August swiftly deciding on only a small rise in output targets from September. But the current US administration should not have expected anything different. The announced production increase by Opec+ of 100,000bl/d is so small it seems cosmetic at best and insulting at worst. And the situation is exacerbated by the fact that supply constraints mean the actual physical increment will be more like 50,000-60,000bl/d—even assuming Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iraq make full use of their extra allowances. In contrast, a briefing by the US’s Middle Eas
Also in this section
24 December 2025
As activity in the US Gulf has stagnated at a lower level, the government is taking steps to encourage fresh exploration and bolster field development work
23 December 2025
The new government has brought stability and security to the country, with the door now open to international investment
23 December 2025
A third wave of LNG supply is coming, and with it a likely oversupply of the fuel by 2028
22 December 2025
Weakening climate resolve in the developed world and rapidly growing demand in developing countries means peak oil is still a long way away
