VIENNA (Reuters) -- OPEC looked unlikely to take steps to cut oil production to lift languishing prices at a meeting on Friday, potentially worsening one of the worst crude gluts in history.

Benchmark Brent oil futures LCOc1 are below $45 per barrel, just a few dollars off their 6-year lows. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) own basket of crude grades is below $38 per barrel - a fraction of what most members need to balance their budgets.

OPEC’s poorer members have been piling pressure on its wealthier members, led by Saudi Arabia, to curb supply.

But Riyadh and its Gulf allies appeared on Friday to be ready to stick to their strategy of defending market share, hoping that lower prices would ultimately drive higher cost producers, such as U.S. shale oil firms, out of the market.

The Saudis have previously said they would be prepared to consider a cut only if OPEC members Iraq and Iran agreed to cooperate and non-OPEC members such as Russia joined in.

‎“We have said on more than one occasion, we are willing to cooperate with anyone who can balance the market,” said Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali al-Naimi.

But Moscow repeated this week it saw no chance of joint actions, and Iran and Iraq on Friday showed no willingness to curb supply either.

Iranian oil minister Bijan Zangeneh said Tehran would be prepared to discuss OPEC quotas or other action only when his country reached full output levels, when and if Western sanctions on the country are lifted next year. He said he expected OPEC to maintain production policies on Friday.

Naimi said he hoped growing global demand could absorb an expected jump in Iranian production next year.