RIYADH, 23 Mar (Arab News)- The OPEC+ oil producers’ alliance led by Saudi Arabia and Russia plays an “essential role” in bringing balance and stability to oil markets, the Saudi Cabinet said on Tuesday.

Ministers urged the international community to assume responsibility for maintaining energy supplies, and to be aware of the danger of Iran supplying the Houthi militia in Yemen with ballistic missiles and drones.

Houthi attacks targeting Aramco facilities at the weekend caused output at a refinery to temporarily drop. The Kingdom said on Monday it would not bear responsibility for any global supply shortage as a result of Houthi attacks on its installations.

OPEC+ has resisted calls by consuming nations including the US to raise their output at a faster rate to calm crude oil prices, which have increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Saudi Arabia and the UAE hold the bulk of OPEC spare capacity.