OIL GIANT SAUDI Aramco has reported that it made a $161 billion US (€151 billion) profit last year.

The firm, known formally as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co, said in its annual report that higher crude oil prices propelled its profits.

It made the announcement on Riyadh’s Tadawul stock exchange.

In 2021, Aramco declared profits of $110 billion (€103 billion), compared with $49 billion (€46 billion) in 2020 when the world faced the worst of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, travel disruptions and oil prices briefly going negative.

Benchmark Brent crude oil now trades at around $82 (€77) a barrel, though prices had reached more than $120 (€113) a barrel in June.

Aramco, whose fortunes hinge on global energy prices, announced a record $42.4 billion (€39.8 billion) profit in the third quarter of 2022 on the back of that price spike.

Those high prices have further strained ties between the kingdom and the United States, traditionally a security guarantor among the Gulf Arab states amid tensions with Iran.

Before the mid-term elections in November, the kingdom said Biden administration had sought to delay a decision by Opec and allies including Russia to cut production which could have kept fuel prices lower for voters – making public the typically behind-the-scenes negotiations common in the region.

US President Joe Biden had warned the kingdom that “there’s going to be some consequences for what they’ve done” in terms of oil prices.

However, those consequences have yet to be seen as Saudi Arabia and Iran went to China to strike a diplomatic deal on Friday.

US petrol prices now stand on average at $3.47 (€3.26) a gallon, down about a dollar from last year.

Saudi Arabia’s vast oil resources, located close to the surface of its desert expanse, make it one of the world’s least expensive places to produce crude.

For every $10 (€9.38) rise in the price of a barrel of oil, Saudi Arabia stands to make an additional $40 billion (€37.5 billion) a year, according to the Institute of International Finance.

Shares in Aramco stood at $8.74 (€8.20) on Riyadh’s Tadawul stock exchange before it opened on Sunday, down from a high of $11.55 (€10.84) a share in the last year.

However, that current price still gives Aramco a valuation of $1.9 trillion (€1.78 trillion) – making it the world’s second-most valuable company behind only Apple.

The Saudi government still owns the vast majority of the firm’s shares.