Oil minister confirms Iran's quest for OPEC

Speaking at a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Asim Hussain, Qassemi stated that electing the new secretary general of the organization is on agenda in the coming session of the organization. Iran is going to introduce a candidate for the post, he announced. Qasemi stressed that Iran will definitely stress fixing the present production level of OPEC member states in the coming session of the organization. Iran's OPEC Governor Mohammad Ali Khatibi told Dow Jones on Friday that the country is preparing to field a candidate for the position. A candidate from Iran will bring the number of countries competing for the role to four. Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Ecuador have already nominated potential successors to current OPEC Secretary General Abdullah al-Badri whose term ends at the end of 2012. OPEC will discuss the issue at its next meeting on June 14 in Vienna. Iran, OPEC's second largest crude exporter, currently holds the presidency of the cartel, a position it is holding for the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution.