25 Apr 2024
Sunday 15 July 2018 - 17:09
Story Code : 312257

Iran rejects Saudi energy minister's remarks on JMMC

FNA - Iran's Governor at the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Hossein Kazzempour Ardebili dismissed the recent remarks by the Saudi energy minister that the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) overseeing the OPEC/non-OPEC supply agreement will no longer track individual countries' compliance with quotas.

"The remarks made by the Saudi energy minister are not based on an OPEC approval and are just his personal view. (OPEC) Members do not have such a resolution," Ardebili said on Sunday.

Asked if Saudi Arabia can boost its oil production, he said, "Any increase in production more than the quotas is a violation of the current agreement as long as it is not approved by the OPEC conference."

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih has told the other members that the JMMC would no longer track individual country compliance with quotas, as the deal has now shifted to a collective production ceiling.

Falih, who chairs the JMMC, said the entire coalitions compliance with the ceiling will continue to be monitored and reported, according to a letter sent Thursday to his counterparts.

The shift from reporting individual country conformity to reporting overall conformity will be adopted to reflect the June 23 decision of the 4th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting that countries will strive to adhere to the overall conformity level, voluntarily adjusted to 100%, as of July 2018, Falih wrote.

Iran has insisted that the supply accord would be breached if members exceed their individual quotas and infringe on others market share.

The JMMC has never publicly revealed individual country performance on quotas but has used the data to privately pressure non-compliant members to do their fair share since production cuts were implemented in January 2017 to help draw down oil in storage.

With the market now rebalanced and US President Donald Trump pressuring Saudi Arabia to cool the market, OPEC agreed June 23 in Vienna with Russia and nine other allies on a 1 million b/d output boost to head off expected supply disruptions from US sanctions on Iran and Venezuelas economic crisis.
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