By Olesya Astakhova, Ahmad Ghaddar and Alex Lawler
MOSCOW/LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - OPEC+ is leaning towards a resumption in oil output increases from April, three OPEC+ sources said, as the group prepares
for peak summer demand and price strength is bolstered by tensions over U.S.-Iran relations.
The resumption would allow OPEC leader Saudi Arabia and fellow member the UAE to regain market share at a time members such as Russia, Venezuela and Iran contend with Western sanctions and Kazakh output is restrained by a series of setbacks.
Eight OPEC+ producers - Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Iraq, Algeria and Oman - meet on March 1.
The eight members raised production quotas by about 2.9 million barrels per day from April to the end of December 2025, equating to about 3% of global demand, and froze further planned increases for January through March 2026 because of seasonally weaker consumption.
The Brent crude benchmark is trading near $68 a barrel despite speculation that a supply glut would suppress prices this year. That's not far from a six-month high of $71.89 hit in January on tensions between the United States and Iran.
All three OPEC+ sources, who declined to be identified by name, said the eight members at the March 1 meeting were leaning towards a resumption in production quota increases from April. Three other sources familiar with OPEC+ thinking said they expected increases to resume in April.
No decision has yet been made and talks will continue in the weeks ahead of the March 1 meeting, two of the OPEC+ sources said.
OPEC and authorities in Russia and Saudi Arabia did not reply immediately to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Olesya Astakhova in Moscow and Alex Lawler and Ahmad Ghaddar in LondonWriting by Alex LawlerEditing by David Goodman)
