They want to kill off political support for American domestic exploration. These are enormous investments - with a slim profit margin, uncertainty in the underlying market price will shift investment to other (more profitable, or less risky) areas. OPEC will do everything it can to control the global oil supply, including these sorts of transparent supply manipulations. Every other source that joins the market is a threat to the Oil Weapon. The more diverse the supply, the better off we all are (save for OPEC).
“They want to kill off political support for American domestic exploration.”
Before the election.