Enforcing a 1973-style oil embargo is not in the cards for Saudi Arabia, confirmed by the Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih in an interview to Russia's TASS news agency. Amidst the roaring controversy surrounding the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the impending U.S. sanctions on Iran, this comes as a big relief for the global economy.
October 1973’s oil crisis, where OPEC nations joined hands to squeeze supplies to the U.S. and Europe in retaliation for their support for Israel, resulted in the oil price quadrupling to US$12 per barrel in just a couple of months.
Khalid al-Falih also added that for decades they have adopted an oil policy which is being used as a responsible economic tool, and Saudi Arabia has no intention of using its oil wealth as a political tool.
He further emphasized on continuing the joint work between the OPEC nations and the non-OPEC nations to maintain the equilibrium of supply and demand, and gave assurance that if required, Saudi Arabia has the requisite firepower to further boost its production to 12 million barrels per day from the present high of 11 million barrels per day.