Saudi Arabia is prepared to sign up to an oil output freeze next month even without Iran taking part, a senior Opec delegate said, paving the way for a deal among big producers.
Some of the world’s largest oil players will meet in Doha on April 17 to discuss restraining output. It follows a provisional agreement reached in February by Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela to freeze production at January levels.
“There is agreement from many countries to go along with a freeze, why make it contingent on Iran,” said the delegate. The comments contrast with those from Gulf officials last month which suggested any deal was conditional on Iran, Saudi Arabia’s Opec rival, taking part alongside other big producer countries.