The United Arab Emirates will leave OPEC and the wider OPEC+ alliance on May 1, 2026, ending decades of membership in a major move tied to production limits, shifting energy priorities and rising tensions with Saudi Arabia. The announcement was confirmed Tuesday through the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency.
The UAE has been part of OPEC since Abu Dhabi joined the oil producers’ group in 1967. Its membership continued after the United Arab Emirates became a country in 1971.
“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.
The decision follows months of speculation about the Emirates’ frustration with production restrictions. The country has invested heavily in domestic energy production and has signalled a desire for more flexibility in managing output.
“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,” the country added.
Saudi Arabia has long been seen as the leading force inside OPEC, which is based in Vienna. The group’s ability to influence global crude markets has faced pressure in recent years as the United States expanded oil production.
The UAE’s decision also comes as relations with Saudi Arabia have grown colder. Both countries have competed over foreign investment, regional influence and economic policy as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pushes to expand the kingdom’s global business profile.
The two Gulf countries also backed a coalition against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in 2015. That partnership later deteriorated, with tensions escalating in late December after Saudi Arabia bombed what it described as a weapons shipment headed to Yemeni separatists backed by the UAE.
The UAE’s exit marks a major test for OPEC and OPEC+, which rely on cooperation among producers to manage supply and support market stability.
Saudi broadcasters once based in Dubai have also moved operations back to the kingdom in recent months, another sign of deepening rivalry.
The UAE says its future energy policy will remain tied to demand and market conditions, but its departure gives the country more room to set production decisions outside OPEC’s quota system.
