The UAE left OPEC because its $1.7 trillion sovereign wealth portfolio now matters more than the price of crude. Higher oil prices can hurt Abu Dhabi as much as help it.

The UAE's 2026 exit from OPEC and plans to hit 5 million barrels per day by 2027 signal a shift as the Hormuz closure drives prices. Learn why OPEC's power is weakening.

The UAE announced it is quitting OPEC after 59 years, a move experts say could boost oil production and ultimately lower global energy prices.

This article is Sanjay Turi, doctoral candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

The United Arab Emirates officially left the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries this week after nearly six decades and quit the broader OPEC+ alliance as well. Its decision was based on national interest and its commitment to "meeting the market's pressing needs.

The timing was almost theatrical. All day Tuesday, Emirati officials and government-aligned accounts had seeded social media with hints that something transformative was coming. Then Mohammed bin Salman took his chair in Jeddah.

This article is authored by Gouri Sankar Nag, professor & head, department of political science, S-K-B University, West Bengal.

Seven OPEC+ members are meeting Sunday to make their first decision on oil-production quotas since the United Arab Emirates' departure from the cartel, which added to the soaring price pressure