Trump urges Saudis to raise oil output by two million barrels
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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has urged Saudi Arabia to sharply increase its oil production to combat the rising cost of fuel.
Trump tweeted that he had asked Saudi ruler King Salman to raise oil output by up to two million barrels a day.
He said the move was needed due to "turmoil and dysfunction in Iran and Venezuela".
Oil prices rose last week, partly due to US plans to re-impose sanctions on Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran is seeking ways to keep exporting oil and other measures to counter US economic sanctions.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on his website that the U.S. sanctions are aimed at turning Iranians against their government.
Since last month, when U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal which lifted most sanctions in 2015, Iran's rial currency has dropped up to 40 percent in value, prompting protests by bazaar traders usually loyal to the Islamist rulers. (BBC/Reuters)
