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Leaving the Oil Spigot Open

Leaving the Oil Spigot Open

On April 17, the thirteen members of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) and five other major producers met in Doha to negotiate a long-awaited production freeze agreement. After five hours of fierce debate, the delegates walked home empty-handed, puncturing hopes that the global price cartel might finally take steps to arrest an almost two-year long slide in global oil prices.

To most, the failure in Doha was hardly a surprise. Saudi insistence on Iranian cooperation with a production freeze does not fit well with Tehran’s plans to regain the market share it lost after Western sanctions targeted its oil exports. Tehran’s refusal to even send a representative to the meeting did not bode well for success.

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