The United Arab Emirates has formally withdrawn from OPEC (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), with the minister overseeing state oil giant ADNOC insisting the move targets no specific nation. Sultan Al Jaber said the decision, which took effect last Friday, is driven by national economic priorities, including plans to expand UAE oil production capacity to five million barrels per day by 2027 — well above the 3.4 million barrel cap previously imposed by the cartel. The exit, the largest by any producer in OPEC's history, comes amid months of escalating tensions between the UAE and neighbouring Saudi Arabia over oil quotas, foreign policy, and the ongoing Middle East conflict, and is expected to weaken the cartel's ability to influence global oil prices.