The UAE Has Left OPEC
The United Arab Emirates has announced its withdrawal from OPEC, effective May 1, 2026, marking a significant shift in global oil dynamics. The move follows years of tension over production quotas and growing geopolitical rifts with Saudi Arabia, particularly over influence in Yemen. The departure weakens OPEC's control over oil markets and reflects broader fractures within the cartel.
- ▪The UAE is leaving OPEC effective May 1, 2026, becoming the third-largest producer to exit the cartel.
- ▪The UAE's decision follows long-standing disputes with OPEC over production limits that restricted its ability to maximize oil sales.
- ▪Geopolitical tensions with Saudi Arabia intensified after UAE-backed forces in Yemen advanced near the Saudi border, prompting direct Saudi military intervention.
- ▪The UAE's withdrawal coincides with its broader strategic shift to expand energy production and assert greater independence in global oil markets.
- ▪Qatar's 2019 exit from OPEC foreshadowed weakening cohesion within the oil cartel, now further eroded by the UAE's departure.
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The UAE Has Left OPEC Beege Welborn 5:20 PM | April 28, 2026 AP Photo/Alex Brandon There is suddenly a mighty crack in the cartel wall that has kept world oil prices in its thrall for the better part of 66 years. We could have probably heard the SNAP! from here. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display("div-gpt-300x250_4"); //googletag.pubads().refresh([gptAdSlot["div-gpt-300x250_4"]]) }); The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday it will leave OPEC effective May 1, stripping the oil cartel of its third-largest producer and further weakening its leverage over global oil supplies and prices.The UAE’s decision had been rumored as a possibility for some time, as it pushed back in recent years against OPEC production quotas it felt had been too low — meaning it wasn’t able…
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