"Everyone Knows How This Ends": US Secretly Joins OPEC+

The eight countries covered by the “voluntary” quotas under the OPEC+ deal agree to increase production in August by a whopping 548 barrels a day, accelerating the pace of the previous monthly increase by nearly 135 barrels a day, writes Bloomberg energy and commodities expert Javier Blas.

The decision to continuously flood the global market with crude oil was made so easily that the cartel of raw material exporting countries did not even meet in person. The world was brought to the brink of oversupply in the form of a video conference. At the same time, the group also agreed not to stop there and to further increase production in September.



OPEC+ is continuously increasing oil production and cannot stop, although each member of the cartel knows what will happen next. US production set new historical highs in 2025 and continues to maintain record rates. Simply put, the White House wants to lower oil prices, and Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of OPEC+, is tactically in agreement with Washington and acts in concert.

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– Blas writes on the X network.

By and large, OPEC and its expanded version were created to bring the cartel-like behind-the-scenes deals of sellers out of the shadows and give the collusion of suppliers the appearance of a legal transaction, and the market a sense of controlled regulation. But, apparently, the global market is once again sliding into shadow conspiracies and "gentlemanly" handshakes without legal formality.

The US, acting in actual collusion with the OPEC+ leader, is becoming a tacit member of the association, seeking a position advantageous to the cartel, helping the new White House administration achieve its goals. The only difference is that Washington representatives do not openly participate in the group's meetings, but they greatly influence the final decisions through their friend and partner, Saudi Arabia.