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"We expect the members of OPEC to pave the
ground for (an) increase of Iran's oil production that will
reach global markets when sanctions are lifted," Bijan Namdar
Zanganeh said during a meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart
Asdrubal Chavez in Tehran, the agency reported.
Iran, once OPEC's second-largest producer after Saudi Arabia,
hopes to boost crude exports by as much as 1 million barrels per
day (bpd) if Tehran and six major powers finalize a nuclear
agreement by a June 30 deadline.
Sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States
have halved Iran's oil exports to just over 1 million barrels
per day since 2012. Lower oil prices have also caused pain for
OPEC's less wealthy producers like Iran, which has repeatedly
called for an output cut of OPEC's target daily production.
But Gulf OPEC members, including Saudi Arabia, have refused to
cut output that is currently at 30 million bpd.
Iran says an increase of its oil production will not cause a
price crash. However, so far there is no sign of any willingness
of other OPEC members to cut supply. OPEC's next meeting is on
June 5.
(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by David Holmes)
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