Saudis Said to Have Offered to Cut Oil Output; No Deal Reached
- Pact would require Iran to freeze production at current levels
- Other proposals also said to have been made at Vienna talks
Saudi Arabia proposed rolling back its production from record levels in exchange for Iran freezing its current output, although talks in Vienna between the two OPEC members didn’t result in an agreement.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, told Iran it would be willing to reduce its output -- which is close to a record 10.7 million barrels a day -- if its regional rival were to cap production at 3.6 million, according to two people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the talks were private. Other proposals were also discussed by oil officials from the countries at the headquarters of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in two-day talks that ended Thursday without a deal, one of the people said.