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United Arab Emirates

April 30, 2026

Abu Dhabi 5:23 pm

34°C

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Analysis

UAE’s OPEC exit rattles cartel as Gulf alliances shift

OPEC's fourth-largest producer will leave the cartel on May 1, marking the most significant departure in the group’s history as the war changes Abu Dhabi's relationship priorities.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

MUMEN KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

Why UAE's decision to leave OPEC is major shift for cartel

The UAE accounts for 12% of OPEC's output, but tensions had been simmering over intragroup rivalries and the country wanting to export more oil.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

First LNG tanker transits Strait of Hormuz since Iran war began

Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP via Getty Images

UAE to leave OPEC on May 1

Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)

United Arab Emirates

UAE’s cash request tests US ties as Iran war strains Gulf financial muscle

A view of Dubai Marina in Dubai on March 3, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

IEA delivers grim gas supply forecast as oil notches 15% weekly rise

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is moored at a LNG berth in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, prefecture April 8, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Mohammed Soliman

In Washington, DC, reporting on Gulf politics

East Yemen former ruling dynasty calls to revive Mahra Sultanate

Amid Saudi Arabia’s growing military influence over the easternmost corner of Yemen, Al Mahrah’s former ruling dynasty wants independence.

Visitors walk next to an Airbus A380, showing a picture of United Arab Emirates's Former President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan during the Dubai Airshow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates November 13, 2017. REUTERS/Satish Kumar - RC131063B650

Dubai's aviation boom in question as airshow kicks off

The profitability of UAE airlines is on the decline as Dubai Airshow 2019 kicks off.

United Arab Emirates

Riyadh Agreement divides Yemenis in Sanaa

Civilians in Sanaa feel frustrated at the Riyadh Agreement recently signed between the main partners of the Saudi-led coalition that will unite them against the Houthis.

Colonel Abdullah al-Sahian (C), who commands the Saudi forces in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, talks to his soldiers in their base in Aden September 28, 2015. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - GF10000225295

Efforts to tie Trump’s hands on Iran, Saudi Arabia hold up key defense bill

Congressional efforts to tie President Donald Trump’s hands on Middle East policy have helped stall negotiations as Democrats and Republicans struggle to pass annual spending and defense authorization legislation.

Million-dollar lobbying campaign against Kuwait suffers major setback

A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a Russian businesswoman to 15 years of hard labor despite pressure from former US officials. Here's who's behind the campaign to release Marsha Lazareva.

United Arab Emirates

General view of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, May 30, 2019. Picture taken May 30, 2019. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC14404B7D30

Is it time for a historic paradigm shift in the Persian Gulf?

Could this be the moment for the countries in the Gulf region to realize they have a lot in common and take steps to reduce conflict?

The UAE still has military ambitions in Yemen despite ‘withdrawal’

The United Arab Emirates seems to be staging a withdrawal from Yemen’s southern city of Aden while increasing its influence elsewhere in the southern provinces.

Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah security chief, gestures in his office in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates October 18, 2016. Picture taken October 18, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer - S1AEUJEJBIAA

Abbas rival Dahlan seeks role in Palestinian elections

The Democratic Reformist Current (DRC), headed by dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan, seems keen to take part in the Palestinian general elections, preferably on a unified Fatah list.

United Arab Emirates

Al Jazeera spends more than $500,000 defending itself against attacks

The Qatari broadcaster is under attack from Doha’s Gulf rivals.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is welcomed by Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Idrees Ali - RC14E5C39AA0

How Turkey’s Syria incursion could have big impact in the Gulf

Turkey's Operation Peace Spring has exacerbated the divide between Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait on the one hand and Qatar on the other.

Putin's visit draws UAE, Russia closer

The UAE's welcoming ceremony for Putin outperformed that of the Saudis but this is not the only reason why the Russian president left Abu Dhabi happy.

What to expect from Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit Saudi Arabia on Oct. 14 with a set of economic and security issues on the agenda.