Washington - (AFP) - Tensions escalated further between Saudi Arabia and the United States on Thursday, as they exchanged criticism over oil production cuts and Riyadh's position on Moscow.

In a rare statement, the Saudis responded to the United States, which considered the reduction in black gold production as a "bias" towards Russia and the policies of its President Vladimir Putin.

And the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in the statement that "the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has seen the statements ... which included describing the decision as siding with the Kingdom in international conflicts and that it was a decision based on political motives against the United States of America."

Riyadh expressed its "total rejection" of the US accusations, stressing that the decisions of the "OPEC +" alliance depend primarily on a "pure economic perspective."

Last week, the "OPEC +" alliance, made up of the 13 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and their ten allies, led by Russia, decided to cut production quotas by two million barrels per day, starting from November.

The decision came despite US President Joe Biden's warning that there would be "consequences" to the move, which could lead to higher oil prices and thus fill Russia's coffers from its oil revenues to finance its war in Ukraine.

For its part, Riyadh said that the United States "proposed" to postpone the decision of "OPEC +" for a month so that the price of gasoline does not rise and thus influence the American voters.

This means that the White House asked Riyadh to wait until after the midterm legislative elections in the United States, scheduled for November 8, which are crucial in determining the remainder of Joe Biden's presidential term.

Washington's response to the Saudi statement was exceptionally swift and strong.

The White House said Thursday that Saudi Arabia "could try to manipulate or divert attention, but the facts are clear."

"In recent weeks, the Saudis have made it clear to us privately and publicly that they intend to cut oil production, knowing that this will increase Russia's revenues and mitigate the impact of sanctions. They have gone in the wrong direction," said John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council.

"They could easily have waited for the next OPEC meeting to see how things develop," Kirby added.

And Kirby added, "Other OPEC countries told us, in private contacts, that they also oppose the Saudi decision, but they felt the need to support" Riyadh's strategy. He explained that Washington "will continue to monitor any indication of (Riyadh's) position in terms of responding to the Russian aggression against Ukraine."

Joe Biden pledged, after the “OPEC +” decision, to conduct a “reassessment” of the long-standing strategic relationship between the two countries, which is based on a simple principle: Saudi Arabia supplies the market with oil, and in return the United States guarantees its security, especially through huge arms deals with it.

The US President visited Saudi Arabia in July to confirm this principle, and thus the White House considered the "OPEC +" decision a diplomatic insult.

The decision of "OPEC +" proves that that visit - and the famous greeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - is politically costly for the 79-year-old Democrat, after he promised during his campaign for the presidential elections to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah" due to the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Many Democratic members of Congress are calling for a freeze on massive arms sales to Saudi Arabia, but the White House has not yet determined what the "consequences" mentioned by Joe Biden will be.