OPINION: A war of words between Opec and the International Energy Agency (IEA) has become the latest battlefront over the energy transition.

The latest row blew up after the IEA accused Opec of introducing production cuts in a bid to drive up crude prices.

Opec secretary general Haitham Al Ghais said the Paris-based IEA should stop “misrepresenting” Opec’s role in driving inflation, which he suggested was driven by a large number of different factors.

He even suggested that the IEA has played a role in oil price volatility by pushing for a faster energy transition and a speedy pivot away from fossil fuels to renewable energy.