The United Arab Emirates has announced it will leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and OPEC+, effective May 1, 2026. The country is the alliance’s third-largest oil producer, and its departure will mark the end of 59 years of membership.
🚨 JUST IN: The UAE is LEAVING OPEC, set to surge more independent oil production
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 28, 2026
This is HUGE! 👀 pic.twitter.com/QS13dUhRMc
“UAE leaving OPEC will allow it to meet market needs”
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 28, 2026
- Suhail al-Mazrouei, the United Arab Emirates Minister of Energy. https://t.co/cAZ2jpGPOj
BREAKING: 🇦🇪 UAE just quit OPEC and OPEC+
— WallStreetBets (@wallstreetbets) April 28, 2026
3rd-largest OPEC producer (~3M barrels/day) walking out mid-Iran war
Brent already at $102
Oil markets about to be wild 👀 pic.twitter.com/Ci97FHO4ab
“This decision reflects the UAE’s long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile, including accelerated investment in domestic energy production, and reinforces its commitment to a responsible, reliable, and forward-looking role in global energy markets,” the UAE said in a statement.
“Following its exit, the UAE will continue to act responsibly, bringing additional production to market in a gradual and measured manner, aligned with demand and market conditions."
OPEC has typically been viewed as an oil cartel, with the world’s top energy producers coordinating to influence global oil prices by controlling output. However, the group’s power has waned in recent years as the United States has ramped up its own crude production. The UAE's departure is expected to contribute to lower oil prices.
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“The U.A.E.’s decision to exit from OPEC reflects a policy-driven evolution aligned with long-term market fundamentals,” the UAE's energy minister, Suhail al-Mazrouei, wrote on social media. “We thank OPEC and its member countries for decades of constructive cooperation.”
This comes amid rising tensions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s founder and leading member. While both maintain partnerships with the United States, the UAE has increasingly pursued its own foreign policy in the region, building closer ties with Israel and backing a rebel group in Yemen, diverging from Saudi priorities. The war in Iran has further widened that divide, as the two countries have adopted different strategies to respond to the threat of Iran.
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