Advertisement

Iranian MPs declared victory with OPEC deal

Iran the only non-exempt member state not obligated to cut production.

By Daniel J. Graeber
Iranian members of parliament said last week's production agreement from OPEC was a victory. File Photo by Mohammad Kheirkhah/UPI
Iranian members of parliament said last week's production agreement from OPEC was a victory. File Photo by Mohammad Kheirkhah/UPI | License Photo

TEHRAN, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Members of the Iranian parliament said Monday they signed a letter of appreciation that, in effect, declared victory with last week's OPEC production deal.

Iran under the terms of an agreement signed last week in Vienna will cap oil production at 3.79 million barrels per day. That's 123,000 bpd less than what the government reported to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in October, but 107,000 bpd less than reported by secondary sources.

Advertisement

Of the countries agreeing to limits, Iran is the only one that has room for more production. Saudi Arabia, one of Iran's main adversaries, cuts the most by volume with 486,000 bpd starting in January.

Members of the Iranian parliament on Monday signed a letter of appreciation, with the official Islamic Republic News Agency reporting the members were declaring victory with the new quota.

"It was a difficult task for the Iranian officials [in Vienna] to persuade OPEC members to agree with the increase in the Iranian oil production rate," the report read.

Libya and Nigeria are exempt for the agreement and any contribution from Indonesia was moot because its OPEC membership was suspended.

Advertisement

OPEC's agreement is meant to erase the surplus of oil on the market that was blamed for lower crude oil prices during most of 2016. The agreement signed in Vienna said there is a "firm and common ground" among member states that collaboration between members, as well as non-member states like Russia, to restore balance in the market.

Iran did not report its production levels for September directly to OPEC. Iran in the past has expressed reservations about cooperating with any production cap proposals, saying it needed to regain a market share lost to sanctions. Two years ago, Iran was producing closer to 2.7 million bpd.

The OPEC agreement was followed by a unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate to extend the Iran Sanctions Act for another 10 years. The measure targets energy and other Iranian industries, though the U.S. president can ease restrictions. Many of the measures were suspended when the United Nations verified this year that Iran was complying with the terms of the multilateral agreement.

Latest Headlines