Iraq has enough oil capacity to meet customer needs - oil minister

Iraq's oil minister said on Thursday his country had the capacity to increase its oil production to 6 million barrels per day (bpd) if needed, but it was committed to OPEC-led output cuts and would not take unilateral action to boost supply.

Thamer Ghadhban also said there were no acute oil shortages for the time being, but Iraq would continue to monitor the market to assess the need for additional barrels at the next OPEC meeting.

On Monday, the United States decided not to renew exemptions from sanctions against Iran granted last year to buyers of Iranian oil, taking a tougher line than expected and triggering a rally in oil prices on fears of oil supply shortages.