• OPEC and its non-OPEC partners agreed on Tuesday to gradually ease production cuts.
• The group opted to stick to the plan agreed upon in April, whereby 2.1 million barrels per day of supply would be brought back to the market between May to July.
• OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said Monday he did not believe higher Iranian supply would be a cause for concern.

LONDON — A group of some of the world’s most powerful oil producers agreed on Tuesday to continue gradually easing production cuts amid a rebound in oil prices.

OPEC and its oil-producing allies, known as OPEC+, will boost output in July, in accordance with the group’s April decision to return 2.1 million barrels per day to the market between May and July.

Production policy beyond July was not decided on, and the group will meet again on July 1.

International benchmark Brent crude futures traded at $71.17 a barrel on Tuesday, up around 2.7%, while West Texas Intermediate crude futures stood at $68.65, for a gain of more than 3% and the contract’s highest level in more than two years. Oil prices have climbed more than 30% this year.

The Middle East-dominated group, which is responsible for over one-third of global oil production, is seeking to balance an expected upswing in demand with the potential for an increase in Iranian output.

The alliance announced massive crude production cuts in 2020 in an effort to support prices when the coronavirus pandemic coincided with a historic demand shock.