Iran Warns OPEC Members Against Oil Production Increase After Trump Tweet
Iran has issued out a warning to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members to “refrain from any unilateral measures” to increase oil production, following Donald Trump’s tweet about Saudi Arabia increasing its oil production to two million barrels, USA Today reports.
Donald Trump pulled the U.S. from the Iran deal in May this year, provoking international reaction and condemnation. As Reuters noted, the rest of the signatories of the deal (Russia, China, Germany, France, Britain) still see the accord as a valuable tool in stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
President Donald Trump has remained immune to criticism, and instead of relying on Iran for oil, he has decided to bring King Salman of Saudi Arabia into the picture, allegedly asking Saudi Arabia’s leader to increase the country’s oil production to up to two million barrels.
Whether Saudi Arabia will fulfill Donald Trump’s request remains unclear. According to USA Today, Saudi Arabia acknowledged that the call between Donald Trump and King Salman of Saudi Arabia had taken place, but refrained from mentioning talk of production targets.
Iran, however, has not remained passive. In a letter issued to the United Arab Emirates’ energy minister Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei, who is also serving as OPEC’s president, Iran warned member countries against the increase.
“OPEC decisions by no means warrant any action by some of its member countries in pursuit of the call for production increase by U.S., politically motivated against Iran. As we are all in agreement to depoliticize our efforts in the OPEC, we should not let others take politicized measures targeting OPEC’s unity and independence.”
Iran’s first Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri was much cruder in his language calling Donald Trump’s maneuver toward the Saudis a “betrayal” that the Americans will eventually “pay for.”
Donald Trump has been continually pressuring official Tehran, but it remains unclear whether oil is the endgame of the administration, considering president Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and informal adviser Newt Gingrich were, as the Inquisitr reported, invited to speak before an Iranian opposition group called the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq.
The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq was previously considered a terrorist organization. They have actively lobbied Gingrich, Giuliani, and National Security Adviser John Bolton, indicating perhaps that a regime change is what awaits Iran in the near future. However, as Politico noted, Iran analysts and experts have warned that the Iranian people don’t want to “replace one regime with another.”
Today, as CNBC noted, Iran erupted into protests, which have culminated in a conflict between Iranian security forces and the protesters. The country is currently on the verge of a full-blown economic crisis, provoked by the Donald Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.
