Why did the UAE quit OPEC and OPEC+?

Lead

The United Arab Emirates officially left the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its broader alliance OPEC+ on May 1, ending nearly six decades of membership in the oil cartel. The decision, announced on April 29, removes one of the group’s largest producers and has been widely interpreted as a sign of growing friction between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s de facto leader.

Coverage Comparison

Reporting on the exit varied in emphasis. The Economist framed the move as a consequence of the UAE’s long-standing resentment of OPEC’s production quotas, which it has regularly breached, and highlighted a "deepening rift" with Saudi Arabia. The South China Morning Post, meanwhile, focused on the "widening fracture" within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), citing expert opinion that the cohesion of the six-nation bloc has encountered serious problems.

The Hindu, in two separate pieces, provided broader context—explaining OPEC’s founding and its historical role—while also noting that the decision dealt a "heavy blow" to the oil-exporting groups and Saudi Arabia at a time when the Iran war has caused a historic energy shock.

Key Claims

• The UAE joined OPEC in 1971, although one of its emirates, Abu Dhabi, had been a member since 1967. Its departure follows the exits of Qatar (2019), Ecuador (2020), and Angola (2024), according to the South China Morning Post.
• The UAE’s Ministry of Infrastructure said in a statement that the decision was based on the country’s national interests and its commitment to meeting global market demand. This official rationale was reported by the South China Morning Post alone.
• The Economist reported that the UAE has long resented the output quotas imposed by OPEC to keep prices stable—and preferably high—and has regularly flouted them. This claim, however, was not echoed in the other sources reviewed and remains single-outlet reporting.
• The Hindu noted that OPEC is a permanent intergovernmental organisation founded in 1960 to coordinate petroleum policies and stabilise global oil markets, while OPEC+ is a broader alliance formed in 2016 that includes ten additional major producers, most notably Russia.
• The same source reported that the UAE’s exit dealt a significant blow to the oil-exporting groups and Saudi Arabia, particularly amid the energy shock caused by the Iran war.

Perspectives

The UAE’s official position, as conveyed through the Ministry of Infrastructure, frames the exit as a matter of national interest and a commitment to meeting global demand—a justification that suggests the country wishes to operate independently of the cartel’s production constraints.

Saudi Arabia and the broader OPEC framework, by extension, face a loss of influence. The departure of a major producer like the UAE weakens the group’s ability to manage global supply, especially at a time of heightened market volatility linked to the Iran war.

Regional observers, such as Sun Degang, director of the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University, point to the exit as evidence of serious problems in GCC cohesion, as cited by the South China Morning Post. This view underscores broader geopolitical tensions among Gulf states that have intensified during the conflict with Iran.

While The Economist stresses the UAE’s quota frustrations as the primary driver, the exact reasons behind the decision remain a mix of official statements and analytical interpretation. The departure is nevertheless a landmark moment for an organisation that has dominated global oil policy for over half a century.