Crude oil output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) took a severe hit in August due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the direct impact of US sanctions, according to a survey published by news agency Reuters.
The survey, released on Thursday (September 10, 2026), indicates that the overall production slump was triggered by fresh disruptions to Saudi Arabian oil exports tied to the Iran war, alongside a sharp decline in Iranian supply caused by tightened US sanctions.
According to survey statistics, the 11 OPEC member states bound by production targets cut crude output by an average of 640,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August. This drop brought the cartel’s total daily production down to 19.71 million bpd.
Notably, seven members of OPEC+—the broader alliance that includes Russia and other non-OPEC allies—had agreed to increase production targets for August. However, active military conflict in the Middle East and emerging maritime infrastructure bottlenecks rendered those output expansion plans unfeasible.
Reuters stated that the survey relied on shipping flow data from financial data provider London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), vessel-tracking insights from Kpler, and quantitative inputs from officials at oil companies, OPEC, and energy consultancies.
