The Iranian representative on OPEC's Board of Governors said that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was a main concern in the meeting with EU, and added, the incident will cause oil prices to go up.
Mohammad-Ali Khatibi said that the accident will naturally result in an increase in safety procedures in the future that will in turn lead to an increase in oil prices.
Khatibi pointed to oil demand, economic developments, environmental issues, energy efficiency, and producer-consumer cooperation as the main topics reviewed between representatives from OPEC and the EU in Brussels on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Iranian official reiterated Tehran's readiness to help resolve the oil spillage problem in the Gulf of Mexico.
On April 20 an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, around 40 miles south east of Louisiana, killed 11 workers and injured 17 others. The rig is owned and operated by Transocean, a company hired by BP to carry out the drilling work.
The U.S. Coast Guard estimated that the rig is leaking oil at the rate of up to 8,000 barrels a day. Two remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) were sent down in an attempt to cap the well, but proved unsuccessful.
Another two ROVs were dispatched in an attempt to activate the blowout preventer - a giant series of pipes and valves that could staunch the leak - but again proved unsuccessful.
The oil spill is considered the largest in U.S. offshore history.