Hossein Afarideh told P.I.N. that as presidential elections in the United States approached, the Zionist lobby tried to use OPEC to get people's votes. "OPEC members should be alert because this lobby is trying to do away with OPEC. However, they will not succeed as OPEC is in very good conditions now," he said. Rejecting claims about failure of OPEC to fulfill its duties, the MP went on to say that OPEC's performance has been positive and the organization has no reason to up production more than it has done thus far. "At present, OPEC is producing oil at full capacity, but other factors outside OPEC's control also affect the price," he noted. Afarideh noted that Iran and Iraq faced difficulties to increase their oil output because Iran was under US sanctions and Iraq is involved in a ravaging war.