CNBC:

The U.S. president has sought to publicly intervene in OPEC's policymaking ahead of a key meeting for the 14-member oil cartel on Friday, complaining in a pair of tweets that the Middle-East-dominated group is to blame for crude prices recently soaring to multi-year highs.

"Oil is not a weapon — it is not a political tool to be used against some countries, producers or consumers," Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh told reporters on Tuesday in Vienna, Austria where OPEC and non-OPEC producers, including Russia, are due to meet this week.

"OPEC is not a political organization and I believe it is necessary for OPEC to support this idea that the market should be depoliticized and condemn any use of oil as a weapon or as a tool against some countries," he added.

Trump, perhaps wary of the average U.S. gasoline price hovering near $3 a gallon, has sought to hold OPEC accountable for a recent upswing in oil prices.

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