Saudis, Russia Agree Oil Output Freeze

Top global producers Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed Tuesday to freeze oil output in a bid to shore up prices after a 70 percent drop due to chronic oversupply.

Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said the move -- which is conditional on other major producers joining in -- was designed to stabilize the market following the dramatic price fall since mid-2014.

Further talks involving Iran and Iraq are due in Tehran on Wednesday.

"We don't want significant gyrations in prices. We don't want a reduction in supply. We want to meet demand and we want a stable oil price," Naimi said.

The announcement followed a closed-door meeting in Doha between Saudi Arabia -- the de facto leader of OPEC -- Venezuela, Qatar and Russia, which does not belong to the oil cartel.

"Following the meeting, all four countries are ready to freeze oil production at January levels, if other major producers do the same," said Russia's energy minister, Alexander Novak.

The announcement marked the first move between OPEC and non-cartel producers to stem the price fall since it began nearly 19 months ago.

Saudi Arabia and other OPEC producers have been refusing to reduce output in a bid to drive less-competitive players, in particular U.S. shale oil producers, out of the market.

Riyadh has said it would only consider output cuts if other producers agree to follow suit and pressure has been building as drops in oil revenues hit government coffers.

Russia in particular has seen its recession-hit economy damaged by the slump, though even Saudi Arabia has announced a record budget deficit.

Naimi said Tuesday's decision was "the beginning of a process which we will assess in the next few months and decide whether we need other steps to stabilize... the market."

- Market 'disappointed' -

Qatar's Energy Minister Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada said "intensive communications" would start immediately with other OPEC and non-OPEC producers, including Iraq and Iran, to win their support.

Iran said it would host talks with Iraq and Venezuela in Tehran on Wednesday, and left the door open to joining efforts to stabilize the market.

"There's room for discussion and examination of this issue," Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said.

But he insisted Iran intends to maintain its share of the market.

"What is important first of all is that right now the oil market faces an output surplus and, secondly, Iran won't relinquish its share," Zanganeh said.

Prices have come under renewed pressure by the return of Iran to world markets after the lifting of international sanctions linked to its nuclear program.

The effort to bring other producers on board may prove complicated and the market response was muted.

Prices had risen after news of Tuesday's meeting broke on hopes that a production cut would be unveiled but there was disappointment after only a conditional freeze was announced.

In early afternoon London deals, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in April was up 50 cents at $33.89 per barrel.

U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate for March delivery added 41 cents to $29.85 a barrel from Monday's closing level.

"The news has actually disappointed the market slightly because some people had hoped to see a cut rather than a production freeze," said City Index analyst Fawad Razaqzada.

In a research note, Danske Bank said the move would have little impact on reducing oversupply as "recent estimates suggest that both Russia and Saudi Arabia produced at levels close to a record high in January".

"The two leading oil producers have basically committed not to take any imminent action to reduce the current global overproduction," it said.