The reduction in oil production targets more spare capacity in case of any global emergency, OPEC's Secretary-General Haitham al-Ghais has announced.
The 13 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and 11 of its allies led by Russia, known as OPEC+, agreed on Wednesday to lower their production by two million barrels per day.
Saudi Arabia said the reduction was necessary to respond to the West's interest rate hike and the weak global economy. The United States criticized the decision, and the White House said it indicated that the group "is aligning with Russia."
High energy prices are a significant issue in the US when President Joe Biden faces the congressional midterms next month.
Ghais told Al Arabiya TV that OPEC's latest decision "was not a decision from one country against another, and I want to be clear in saying this, and it's not a decision from two or three countries against a group of other countries."
He explained there are solid indicators for "the likelihood of recession," and the group decided "to pre-empt and to be proactive."
Western nations worry higher energy prices will hurt the fragile global economy and hinder efforts to deprive Moscow of oil revenue following its invasion of Ukraine.
European Union sanctions on Russian crude and oil products are also set to take effect in December and February, respectively.
Asked about the sanctions and a European proposal to cap the price of Russian oil, Ghais said he could not comment on the matter.
"The truth is, the shape of these proposed sanctions is not quite clear, and how they will be implemented is also unclear, so we cannot comment."
The Sec-Gen also said OPEC+ does not target prices: "We are not targeting a price. We are targeting a balance in supply and demand."
Oil prices rose on Friday, heading for gains for the second week in a row, supported by OPEC's decision for the most significant supply cut since 2020, despite concerns about recession and high-interest rates.
Brent crude rose 89 cents, or 0.94 percent, to $95.31 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed 90 cents, or 1.02 percent, to $89.35 a barrel.
Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM said that among the critical ramifications of OPEC's latest cut is a likely return of $100 oil, noting that the gains will be limited in light of the growing unfavorable economic factors.
Both contracts posted their second straight weekly gains and their most significant weekly percentage gains since March this week, with Brent close on recording an eight percent increase this week.
However, it is still significantly lower after approaching an all-time high of $147 a barrel in March after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The dollar's rise added to pressure on oil prices amid statements from Federal Reserve officials indicating that the bank will continue to tighten monetary policy sharply.
In France, the Minister of Transport Clement Beaune said on Friday that the government was prepared to make further use of strategic reserves at the weekend to ease the tensions.
Beaune told channel LCI that he would allow fuel trucks to deliver shipments on Sundays to ease market shortages.
Most urban petrol stations in France appeared to be affected by shortages leading to long queues at gas stations.
Labor strife has hit the country's two biggest refineries in Normandy, run by TotalEnergies SE and Exxon Mobil Corp, which affected two-thirds of the country's oil production.
He indicated that the companies and workers are in negotiations, adding that the government is doing everything possible to ease the situation, especially in the most affected regions.
