United States officials were reportedly rebuffed by Saudi Arabia and other big Gulf producers in their urgent request to delay a major reduction in oil production (2 million barrels per day), just days before OPEC and its allies announced the decision, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Citing sources in the report, the Journal says U.S. officials "warned" Saudi leaders that a drastic cut in oil production would be universally viewed as OPEC siding with Moscow in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Conversely, the Saudis felt the Biden administration was only concerned about the expected rise of gasoline prices in America affecting the upcoming midterm elections on Nov. 8.
"It's categorically false to connect this to U.S. elections," said National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson, according to the Journal. "It's about the impact of this short-sighted decision to the global economy."
