Houthi official advises Saudi enemies to continue oil cuts in response to US pressure

Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, a senior leader in the Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement, has advised Saudi Arabia to respond firmly to US threats following OPEC’s recent decision to cut oil production.

The Houthi movement, which seized control of the Yemeni capital Sana'a in 2014, has been at war with Saudi Arabia for over seven years.

In a tweet, the former president of the Houthi group’s Supreme Revolutionary Committee said the more pressure the US exerts on Saudi Arabia, the more the Saudis must exert pressure on OPEC+ to reduce oil production.

He added a hashtag saying the United Nations Security Council "is extremist" without elaborating.

انصح المملكة
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تتخذه السعودية امام العقوبات المزمع تنفيذها ضدها من امريكا الضغط مجددا على او بك بتخفيض 5%
وكلما زادت امريكا العقوبات زادت السعودية الضغط على اوبك لزيادة التخفيض #UNSC_is_extremist

— محمد علي الحوثي (@Moh_Alhouthi) October 13, 2022

Saudi Arabia is the de-facto leader in OPEC+ and the world’s number one exporter of oil.

Al-Houthi’s comments came as a surprise, as his group has fought a devastating  conflict against a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015, which has left Yemen in the midst of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

It came at a time warring factions in Yemen discussed the possibility of extending for a third time a UN-brokered truce, which ended early this month.

The Houthi official’s comments drew mixed reactions from Twitter users.

"We must…stand together as one nation against American hegemony," said one user.

نعض على الجرح ونقف مع أمتنا ضد الهيمنة والغطرسة الأمريكية.

— العروبة أولاً (@moh0421333) October 14, 2022

"The [Saudi] Kingdom…has experts in all fields. Advise them how to arrest drug smuggling gangs affiliated with your bad ruler," said another person.

المملكة دولة مكتملة الاركان وعندهم خبراء في جميع المجالات ، انصحهم فقط كيف يقبضوا على عصابات تهريب المخدرات التابعة لمكتب السيء حقكم

— redwan masood (@redwan_masood) October 13, 2022

Saudi-led oil cartel OPEC+ announced last week that it would cut oil output by 2 million barrels a day - a decision that dashed American hopes of increasing production amid a worldwide energy crisis precipitated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the planned oil cut would have "consequences" for US-Saudi relations moving forward and vowed to work with Congress to re-evaluate once close ties to the Gulf kingdom.

The US and Saudi Arabia have historically maintained strong relations around energy and security cooperation.