The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that OPEC has agreed to a modest increase in oil production from July after its leader Saudi Arabia persuaded Iran to co-operate amid calls from major consumers to help reduce the price of crude. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe cites two unnamed sources that say the group agreed that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies led by Russia should increase production by about one million barrels a day, or 1 per cent of global supply. The real increase will be smaller because several countries that recently underproduced oil will struggle to return to full quotas while other producers will not be allowed to fill the gap, sources have said. The United States, China and India had urged OPEC to release more supply to prevent an oil deficit that would hurt the global economy. Saudi Arabia and Russia said they were happy to pump more but Iran had criticized the idea as it faces export-crippling U.S. sanctions. Iran, OPEC's third-largest producer, had demanded OPEC reject calls from President Donald Trump for an increase in oil supply, arguing that he had contributed to a recent rise in prices by imposing sanctions on Iran and Venezuela.