- OPEC does not plan an immediate response to Iran’s call for an oil embargo on Israel.
- The Gulf Cooperation Council emphasises its commitment to energy security and says it refrains from using oil as a weapon.
OPEC does not currently plan to convene an extraordinary meeting or take immediate action in response to Iran’s Foreign Minister’s call for members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to impose an oil embargo and other sanctions on Israel, as per four sources from the producer group.
On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian urged OIC members to enforce an oil embargo, impose other sanctions on Israel, and expel all Israeli ambassadors.
Four sources within the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which produces a third of the world’s oil and includes several Muslim countries, including Iran, have stated that the group does not have any immediate action or emergency meetings planned in light of Iran’s comments. One of the sources emphasised, ‘We are not a political organisation.’
Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaking at a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s executive committee (Getty Images)
When asked whether Arab countries should reduce oil production in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council stated, ‘The GCC is committed to energy security and shouldn’t use oil as a weapon.’ Jasem al-Budaiwi added, ‘The GCC works as a clear and honest partner as an oil exporter with the international community and we can’t use that as a weapon in any way possible.’
An urgent meeting of the OIC is underway in the Saudi city of Jeddah to discuss the current situation in Occupied Palestine, following a blast at a Gaza hospital that resulted in a significant number of Palestinian civilian casualties.
Amirabdollahian also called for the formation of a team of Islamic lawyers to document potential war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza.
