Ahmed Zaki Yamani | |
|---|---|
أحمد زكي يماني | |
 Yamani (left), with Ali Akbar Abdolrashidi, 2004 | |
| Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources | |
| In office 9 March 1962 – 5 October 1986 | |
| Preceded by | Abdullah Tariki |
| Succeeded by | Hisham Nazer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 June 1930 Mecca, Saudi Arabia |
| Died | 23 February 2021 (aged 90) London, United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | Cairo University New York University Harvard Law School University of Exeter |
Ahmed Zaki Yamani (Arabic: أحمد زكي يماني; 30 June 1930 – 23 February 2021) was a Saudi Arabian politician who served as Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources under four Saudi monarchs from 1962 to 1986, and a minister in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for 25 years.
With degrees from institutions including New York University School of Law, Harvard Law School, and a doctorate from the University of Exeter, Yamani became a close adviser to the Saudi government in 1958 and then became oil minister in 1962. He is known for his role during the 1973 oil embargo, when he spurred OPEC to quadruple the price of crude oil.
In December 1975, Yamani and the other OPEC ministers were taken hostage by the terrorist Carlos (the Jackal) in Vienna, Austria. The hostages were released after two days riding an airplane across North Africa, even though Carlos was ordered by his superiors to execute Yamani and his Iranian counterpart Jamshid Amouzegar.
Yamani was dismissed as the oil minister by King Fahd in October 1986. In 1990, Yamani founded the Centre for Global Energy Studies, a market analysis group, and remained involved in private investments and cultural foundations.