Aides to President Joe Biden were furious when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reneged on a secret deal they believe they struck to boost oil production, The New York Times reports.

Citing U.S. and Middle East officials, the newspaper reported that Biden's aides believed they had reached an agreement with the Saudis to increase oil production by December. That would have allowed Biden's White House to claim that the president's controversial visit to the kingdom in July was of considerable benefit, and would have supported Democrats before the midterm elections, where they face criticism from Republicans over high gasoline prices.

Biden criticized the Saudis during the campaign for their human rights record, but when the war in Ukraine caused oil prices to rise, he traveled to Jeddah to meet with the crown prince.

But instead of giving Biden a much-needed political victory, the crown prince reneged on the deal. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia also infuriated Democratic lawmakers and White House officials by announcing plans to cut production along with Russia and other OPEC nations, pushing oil prices higher.

The move was interpreted by some Democrats as an attempt to interfere in the midterm elections and plunged the White House and the Saudis into a cycle of mutual accusations. Biden said the decision would have consequences for Saudi Arabia, without specifying what they might be.

The Saudi Ministry of Energy refuted claims that the production cuts were politically motivated: OPEC+ decisions are made by consensus of all members and are determined solely by market principles, not politics.

Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the National Security Council, defended the Biden administration's oil policy.