OPEC+ flags risks to oil facilities amid escalating Iran conflict

WASHINGTON: OPEC+ has raised concerns over growing risks to global energy supply amid the escalating US–Israel conflict with Iran.

During a Sunday panel meeting, the group reviewed that the US attacks on oil facilities are costly and slow to repair, which could disrupt the overall supply.

The committee also stressed the importance of protecting key maritime routes to ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy worldwide.

According to sources close to OPEC+, the group is likely to approve 206, 000 barrels of petrol per day for May, while April’s increase was also mirrored.

However, the boost is expected to exist mostly on paper as key producers remain unable to raise output due to the US-Iran conflict that started after the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran on February 28.

Since February 28, airstrikes have repeatedly targeted bases of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), which have publicly condemned the US and Israel for the attacks.

Meanwhile, Iraqi citizens took to Liberation Square in Baghdad on Saturday to stage a peaceful protest against the ongoing US-Israel military operations targeting Iran. Demonstrators demanded an immediate halt to the strikes and voiced opposition to the long-term US military presence across Iraq and the wider Middle East.