Macron secures more Gulf diesel as France battles soaring fuel prices

Extra diesel from the UAE and Bahrain

200,000 tonnes a month

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have committed to an extra 200,000 tonnes of diesel a month for France, the French presidency said.

With deliveries from Saudi Arabia, France now has commitments for 295,000 tonnes a month, just over 10 per cent of its consumption.

“We are not going to run out of diesel in February,” said the head of TotalEnergies, who is travelling with Macron.

— Patrick Pouyanne, head of TotalEnergies

Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has kept fuel prices high, and France released 10 million barrels of diesel from its reserves to cut prices by about 5 to 8 per cent from next month.