Macron lines up more Gulf diesel as France battles soaring fuel prices

The UAE and Bahrain deals increase French commitments to 295,000 tonnes a month, just over 10 percent of consumption.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa welcomes France's President Emmanuel Macron at al-Sakhir Palace, near Zallaq. [AFP]

French President Emmanuel Macron has secured commitments for an extra 200,000 tonnes of diesel a month from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, according to the French presidency.

The Elysee Palace announced the deals on Tuesday, before the president landed in Qatar.

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His three-day Gulf tour, which also stops in Kuwait, follows a weekend of violent protests in France over the soaring cost of living, as the US-Iran war keeps energy prices high.

The presidency said the UAE had committed to about 100,000 tonnes a month, while a further 100,000 tonnes monthly would be secured during Macron’s visit to Bahrain .

Together with deliveries from Saudi Arabia, France now has commitments for 295,000 tonnes a month, just over 10 percent of its consumption, it said.

Kuwait has also given “very clear commitments” to deliver diesel and kerosene to the French overseas territories of Mayotte and Reunion in the Indian Ocean, the presidency said. The shipments will go via Oman to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

Patrick Pouyanne, the head of French oil giant TotalEnergies, who is travelling with Macron, said the deals would “reassure the French”.

“We are not going to run out of diesel in February,” he said, according to the AFP news agency.

Andreas Krieg, a professor at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that France’s energy deals fit a wider pattern.

He noted that Gulf states have sent delegations to London, Paris, Berlin and Rome in recent months, seeking access to military complexes and possible stakes in European defence companies.

“They see a growing entanglement between their interests and European interests,” he said. “Not just in the energy field,” but also supply chains, he added.

Both sides feel pressure from a United States that is increasingly sidelining them, creating an opening to minimise dependence on Washington, Krieg said.

Macron’s agenda in Qatar includes discussions about security, defence, securing energy commitments to France, and advancing the frontiers in artificial intelligence, according to Sheikha Alanoud Hamad Saud Al Thani, a political analyst and fellow at the Middle East Council for Global Affairs.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, she said Qatar “really valued” its ties with France, which is one of the Gulf state’s oldest defence relationships.

“It comes as no surprise that the French are one of Qatar’s most important friends in Europe,” she said, describing Macron’s visit as “extremely consequential”.

“[Qatar is] leveraging existing relationships to adapt to this new kind of asymmetrical warfare, and we’re looking to see advancements in anti-drone and defence capabilities,” she said.

Impact of US-Israel war on Iran

Iran has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, the main exit route for the Gulf’s energy exports, sending crude prices soaring during the eight-month conflict. Diesel has been among the hardest hit.

The G7, chaired this year by France, agreed earlier in October to draw up to 100 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves.

France has also released 10 million barrels of diesel from its own reserves, aiming to cut prices by 12 to 18 cents a litre, or about 5 to 8 percent, from next month, the French presidency said.

与阿联酋和巴林达成的协议使法国的石油出口承诺增加到每月 29.5 万吨，略高于其消费量的 10%。

巴林国王哈马德·本·伊萨·阿勒哈利法在扎拉克附近的萨基尔宫欢迎法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙。 [法新社]

据法国总统府消息，法国总统马克龙已从阿拉伯联合酋长国和巴林获得了每月额外20万吨柴油的承诺。

在总统抵达卡塔尔之前，爱丽舍宫于周二宣布了这些协议。

问题 1/3：为什么法国的校园抗议活动演变成一场更广泛的政治危机？

美国放弃以石油换取安全的策略，转而关注中东，这是美国放弃中东战略的三个举措之一：特使汤姆·巴拉克

伊朗否认政权即将崩溃，而美国则声称伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队资金短缺（共3条，此为第3条）。

在他为期三天的海湾之旅中，他还将访问科威特。此前，法国周末爆发了暴力抗议活动，抗议者不满生活成本飙升，而美伊战争导致能源价格居高不下。

总统府表示，阿联酋已承诺每月进口约 10 万吨，而在马克龙访问巴林期间，还将确保每月额外进口 10 万吨。

该公司表示，加上沙特阿拉伯的供货，法国目前每月已获得 29.5 万吨的粮食承诺，略高于其消费量的 10%。

科威特总统府表示，科威特已做出“非常明确的承诺”，将向位于印度洋的法国海外领地马约特岛和留尼汪岛供应柴油和煤油。这些物资将经由阿曼运输，绕过霍尔木兹海峡。

与马克龙一同出访的法国石油巨头道达尔能源公司总裁帕特里克·普亚内表示，这些协议将“让法国人安心”。

据法新社报道，他说：“我们二月份不会出现柴油短缺。”

伦敦国王学院安全研究学院教授安德烈亚斯·克里格告诉半岛电视台，法国的能源交易符合更广泛的模式。

他指出，近几个月来，海湾国家已向伦敦、巴黎、柏林和罗马派遣代表团，寻求进入军事设施和可能持有欧洲国防公司的股份。

他说：“他们看到自身利益与欧洲利益之间的联系日益紧密。”他补充说：“不仅在能源领域，而且在供应链领域也是如此。”

克里格表示，双方都感受到来自美国的压力，美国正日益将他们边缘化，这为减少对华盛顿的依赖创造了机会。

据中东全球事务委员会政治分析家兼研究员谢赫·阿拉努德·哈马德·萨乌德·阿勒萨尼称，马克龙在卡塔尔的议程包括讨论安全、国防、确保对法国的能源承诺以及推进人工智能领域的前沿发展。

她在接受半岛电视台采访时表示，卡塔尔“非常重视”与法国的关系，这是这个海湾国家历史最悠久的防务伙伴关系之一。

“法国是卡塔尔在欧洲最重要的朋友之一，这并不令人意外，”她说道，并称马克龙的访问“意义极其重大”。

“卡塔尔正在利用现有的关系来适应这种新型的非对称战争，我们期待看到反无人机和防御能力的进步，”她说。

美以战争对伊朗的影响

伊朗封锁了霍尔木兹海峡，这是海湾地区能源出口的主要通道，导致原油价格在长达八个月的冲突期间飙升。柴油价格受到的冲击尤为严重。

今年由法国担任主席国的七国集团（G7）于10月初达成一致，将从战略储备中提取至多1亿桶石油。

法国总统府表示，法国还从其自身储备中释放了 1000 万桶柴油，目标是从下个月开始将柴油价格每升降低 12 至 18 美分，即约 5% 至 8%。