The United Arab Emirates will withdraw from May 1 from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) led by Riyadh, and from the OPEC+ alliance also including Russia, the Emirati press agency announced on Tuesday.
Published on: 04/28/2026 - 4:06 p.m. Modified on: 04/28/2026 - 4:13 p.m.
Surprise among oil-producing countries. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Tuesday April 28 their withdrawal from OPEC and OPEC+, a hard blow for these two groups of oil-exporting countries and for Saudi Arabia, their leader, at a time when the war in Iran has caused a historic energy shock and is destabilizing the world economy.
The surprise withdrawal of the UAE, a member since 1967 of the organization founded in 1960, could sow disorder and weaken the cartel, which generally strives to present a united front despite internal disagreements on a range of issues from geopolitics to production quotas.
OPEC-producing Gulf nations are already struggling to move their exports through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway off Iran through which a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes.
This strait was effectively closed by Iran shortly after the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, which sent crude oil prices soaring and created great uncertainty about the global outlook.
The UAE's withdrawal from OPEC represents a major victory for US President Donald Trump, who has accused the organization of "robbing the rest of the world" by inflating oil prices.
Tensions between the Gulf monarchies
The UAE's decision comes as the country, a regional trade hub and one of Washington's most important allies, has criticized other Arab states for not doing enough to protect them against numerous Iranian attacks since the start of the war.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates, criticized the response of Arab and Gulf countries to Iranian attacks during a session of the Gulf Influencers Forum on Monday.
Read alsoWar in the Middle East: in Dubai, regional economic hub, it is “wait and see” that predominates
“The Gulf Cooperation Council countries have supported each other logistically, but politically and militarily, I think their position has been the weakest in their history”; he declared.
“I expected this position of weakness from the Arab League and it does not surprise me, but I did not expect it from the (Gulf) Cooperation Council and it surprises me,” he added.
“Structural weakening of OPEC”
The UAE's energy minister told Reuters on Tuesday that leaving OPEC and OPEC+ offered Abu Dhabi some flexibility as the country no longer had any obligations to the group.
He clarified that the UAE did not directly consult other countries, nor Saudi Arabia, before making this decision.
Jorge Leon, an analyst at Rystad, said the UAE's withdrawal from OPEC and OPEC+ marks an important turning point for the organization. “Along with Saudi Arabia, it is one of the few members with significant reserve capacity – the mechanism by which the group exerts its market influence.”
“While the short-term effects may be limited given the current disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the longer-term implication is a structural weakening of OPEC,” he added.
“Outside the group, the UAE will have both the motivation and capacity to increase production, raising broader questions about the sustainability of Saudi Arabia's role as a central market stabilizer – and portending a potentially more volatile oil market as OPEC's ability to smooth supply imbalances diminishes,” Jorge Leon continued.
With Reuters
Keywords associated with the article
The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.
