Saudi Arabia says "no intention" of oil cut-off

Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih told Russian state media that the kingdom has "no intention" of cutting off oil supplies akin to the 1973 embargo. He also told Russia's state-owned TASS that his country plans to boost its production from 10.7 million barrels per day to 11 mbd in the "near future."

Why it matters: The comments published Monday come amid global condemnation and pressure on the kingdom over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

• They come a week after OPEC's dominant producer issued a veiled threat to use oil as a weapon if the U.S. imposes sanctions or other measures.
• Few expected the Saudis to make good on that threat, but the new remarks are further evidence of backing off that idea.

Quoted: "Saudi Arabia is a very responsible country, for decades we used our oil policy as responsible economic tool and isolated it from politics," al-Falih said.

Go deeper:

• How the anti-Saudi movement snowballed
• Congress reacts to the Saudis' Khashoggi story
• World leaders denounce Saudi account of Khashoggi killing