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

By Al Jazeera Staff and AFP. Published On 20 Oct 202620 Oct 2026.

Key points

• Together with deliveries from Saudi Arabia, France now has commitments for 295, 000 tonnes a month, just over 10 percent of its consumption, it remarked.
• Andreas Krieg, a professor at the School of Security Studies at King's College London, informed Al Jazeera that France's energy deals fit a wider pattern.
• The G7, chaired this year by France, agreed earlier in October to draw up to 100 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves.
• The Elysee Palace confirmed the deals on Tuesday, before the president landed in Qatar.
• Both sides feel pressure from a United States that is increasingly sidelining them, creating an opening to minimise dependence on Washington, Krieg remarked.

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.

Meanwhile, the Elysee Palace confirmed the deals on Tuesday, before the president landed in Qatar.

As the US-Iran war keeps energy costs high, his three-day Gulf tour, which additionally stops in Kuwait, follows a weekend of violent protests in France over the soaring cost of living.

While a further 100, 000 tonnes monthly would be secured during Macron's visit to Bahrain, the presidency remarked the UAE had committed to concerning 100, 000 tonnes a month.

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

Patrick Pouyanne, the head of French oil giant TotalEnergies. This person is travelling with Macron, remarked the deals would "reassure the French".

"We are not going to run out of diesel in February, " he remarked, according to the AFP news agency.

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

"They see a growing entanglement between their interests and European interests, " he remarked. "Not just in the energy field, " but additionally supply chains, he went on.

Macron's agenda in Qatar includes discussions regarding 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 remarked Qatar "really valued" its ties with France. It 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 remarked, describing Macron's visit as "extremely consequential".

" 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 remarked. 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 rates soaring during the eight-month conflict. Diesel has been among the hardest hit.

Notably, 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 additionally issued 10 million barrels of diesel from its own reserves, aiming to cut rates by 12 to 18 cents a litre, or concerning 5 to 8 percent, from next month, the French presidency stated.

Taken together, the developments around macron lines up more Gulf diesel as France battles soaring fuel prices point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.