A diplomat in the British government said: “We are aware of the Ministry of Oil’s claim that oil production has fallen to 100,000 barrels per day. However, this forecast is inaccurate because the actual production is much higher.”

The diplomat added that while Libya’s oil production was fluctuating on a daily basis, only 30-40 percent of the country’s total production fell.

Tim Eaton, a researcher at the British Chatham House who focuses on the political economy of the Libyan conflict, said: “The sources information indicates that the collapse in production is not as described by the Ministry of Oil.”

Eaton confirmed: “It is clear that the relations between Aoun and Sanalla have irreversibly collapsed, as the minister’s statements clearly aim to undermine Sanalla.”

He continued by saying “that the Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation is the only Libyan institution authorized under UN Security Council resolutions to sell Libyan oil, yet it did not announce the exact level of current production.”

According to Eaton, the United States is pressing for an agreement between the authorities in Libya with the aim of keeping the continued flow of oil, when gasoline prices are threatening the economy.

He pointed out that the Americans understand this problem and are motivated by the West’s desire to increase oil production.

Adapted from The Financial Times