After hitting record levels in August and early September, the Oil Ministry has reduced output to help support global prices. Iraq has throttled back its crude production since setting an all-time record in August , averaging 4.85 million barrels per day (bpd) in September. * The month-on-month reduction of about 120,000 bpd comes after Oil Minister Thamir Ghadhban promised OPEC members that Iraq would move back toward compliance with a quota designed to buoy global crude prices.