The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Tuesday that it is leaving the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and OPEC+ as of Friday, as an unprecedented energy crisis triggered by the Iran war sparks a fierce disagreement among Gulf nations.
The United Arab Emirates has been a long-standing member of OPEC—an alliance of major oil-producing countries—initially through the emirate of Abu Dhabi in 1967 and, following its formation as a sovereign state in 1971, as a full member. OPEC+ is a broader coalition of other oil-producing nations established in 2016.
The stunning loss of the UAE could create disarray and weaken the group, which has usually sought to show a united front despite internal disagreements over a range of issues from geopolitics to production quotas.
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UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei said on Tuesday the decision was taken after a careful look at on the regional power’s energy strategies.
Asked by media whether his country consulted with Saudi Arabia, he said the UAE did not raise the issue with any other country.
“This is a policy decision, it has been done after a careful look at current and future policies related to level of production,” Mazrouei said.
The UAE has had increasingly frosty relations with Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s largest producer, over political and economic matters in the Middle East, even as both came under attack by fellow OPEC member Iran.
Crude oil production by the OPEC fell by around 7.9 million barrels per day (bpd) in March 2026 compared with February, due to disruptions caused by US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory attacks across the region.
In March, OPEC’s total output stood at about 20.79 million bpd, according to the group’s latest Monthly Oil Market Report.
The energy research company Rystad Energy said the UAE’s withdrawal marks a significant shift for the oil-producing group.
“Losing a member with 4.8 million barrels per day of capacity, and the ambition to produce more, takes a real tool out of the group’s hands,” Rystad Energy’s head of geopolitical analysis, Jorge Leon, said in a statement.
