RABAT, April 28. /TASS/. The United Arab Emirates’ announcement of its intention to withdraw from OPEC and OPEC+ is driven by the country’s desire to maximize its oil extraction and petroleum product production capacity, Iraqi energy expert Nabil Jaafar Al-Marsoumi said.

"The UAE’s decision to withdraw from OPEC and the OPEC+ alliance effective May 1, 2026, stems from the country’s leadership’s desire to free itself from the production limits imposed by the two organizations," the Baghdad Today news outlet quoted the expert as saying. According to Al-Marsoumi, the UAE, which is the third-largest producer with a daily output of 3.4 million barrels of oil, believes that "OPEC restrictions do not align with its oil policy, which aims to utilize excess production capacity, as it (the UAE - TASS) seeks to increase its daily output to more than five million barrels."

The Iraqi expert emphasized that "it cannot be ruled out that this move by the UAE will undermine the efforts of OPEC and OPEC+ to control and regulate oil supplies and adjust production in line with global demand." According to Al-Marsoumi, "this could also negatively impact efforts to achieve stability in the global oil market."