Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 3, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleOPEC+ is considering an oil production increase to regain market share amid high prices influenced by sanctions. A decision is expected soon.
By Alex Lawler and Olesya Astakhova
LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) -Eight OPEC+ members will consider further raising oil production at a meeting on Sunday, two sources familiar with the discussions said, as the group seeks to regain market share.
OPEC+ has reversed its strategy of output cuts from April and has already raised quotas by about 2.5 million barrels per day, about 2.4% of world demand, to boost market share and under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to lower oil prices.
But those increases have failed to bring down oil prices, which traded near $68 a barrel supported by Western sanctions on Russia and Iran, encouraging further production gains in rivals such as the United States.
Another output boost would mean OPEC+, which pumps about half of the world's oil, would be starting to unwind a second layer of cuts of about 1.65 million barrels per day, or 1.6% of world demand, more than a year ahead of schedule.
Eight OPEC+ countries are due to hold an online meeting on Sunday expected to decide on October output. OPEC+ includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus Russia and other allies.
There is also a chance, some analysts and an OPEC+ source said, that OPEC+ could pause the increases for October. A final decision has not been made, the OPEC+ source said.
OPEC headquarters and authorities in Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Brent crude was trading near $68 on Wednesday, down over 1% on the day but up from a 2025 low of near $58 in April.
As well as sanctions, the OPEC+ hikes falling short of the pledged amounts have also supported prices, analysts have said.
Until April, OPEC+ had been curtailing production for several years to support oil prices.
At their last meeting in August, the eight members raised production by 547,000 bpd for September, completing a total increase in output for the year of 2.5 mln bpd. That included a 300,000 bpd additional production allocation for the UAE.
The next output cut layer of 1.65 million bpd is in place until the end of 2026, as is another 2 million bpd of cuts by the whole group.
(Reporting by Alex Lawler and Olesya Astakhova; Additonal reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar and Yousef Saba; Editing by Dmitry Zhdannikov and Bernadette Baum)
OPEC+ is a coalition of oil-producing countries that includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other major oil producers like Russia, aiming to manage oil production and stabilize prices.
Oil production quotas are limits set by OPEC+ on how much oil each member country can produce, intended to control supply and influence global oil prices.
Sanctions are penalties imposed by countries or international bodies that restrict trade or financial transactions, often affecting oil exports and prices, particularly targeting countries like Iran and Russia.
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