Iran oil minister says hopes OPEC will not follow US orders

DUBAI: Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Sunday he hoped decisions taken by the OPEC and non-OPEC ministerial committee would not be affected by US President Donald Trump’s tweets on oil producers.



“I hope (Trump’s) threats will not scare my OPEC colleagues and encourage them to carry out America’s orders,” Zanganeh was quoted by the oil ministry’s SHANA news website as saying.

Zanganeh was referring to a tweet by Trump in which he linked US support for Middle Eastern countries to oil prices on Thursday and again urged OPEC to lower prices.

“In my opinion, President Trump’s statement is the biggest insult to US-friendly states and nations in the region,” Zanganeh said.

Zanganeh is not attending the OPEC and non-OPEC monitoring committee gathering in Algeria this weekend.



The panel comprised of ministers from OPEC and allied oil producers meeting on Sunday is unlikely to recommend a further increase in crude production from that agreed in June, five OPEC and non-OPEC sources told Reuters on Sunday.