Brent tops $114 after UAE says it will leave OPEC on May 1

Brent crude pushed above $114 a barrel after the United Arab Emirates said it will leave OPEC and OPEC+ on May 1, removing the cartel's third-largest producer just as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains under pressure. The market reaction turned a political headline into a pricing event: traders extended a multi-day rally in crude as a quota-bound producer signaled it wanted more freedom over capacity and exports.

The key line came from the UAE Energy Ministry, which said in a written statement, cited by Anadolu Agency's report on WAM and CNBC, that the withdrawal followed a "comprehensive review" of the country's production policy and capacity. Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei told CNBC the timing was meant to minimize disruption to prices and to fellow OPEC producers. He also said the UAE would keep working with producers and consumers to support market stability.

The supply math matters more than the diplomacy. CNBC reported that the UAE was OPEC's third-largest producer in February behind Saudi Arabia and Iraq, while Al Mazrouei reiterated an ambition to lift capacity to 5 million barrels per day by 2027. That is a different posture from producing under cartel quotas while attacks on shipping near Hormuz continue to constrain export reliability. A producer with more spare capacity and more geopolitical urgency usually wants optionality, not tighter coordination.

The next watchpoint is whether the exit changes actual barrels or only governance. OPEC+ still has to manage war-driven supply risk, insurance costs, and the possibility that UAE barrels move outside the quota framework after May 1. The broader signal is that cohesion inside producer alliances weakens quickly when price support and physical export flexibility stop pointing in the same direction.

A later CNBC market update showed Brent topping $114 on April 29 as traders layered the UAE decision onto fresh Iran headlines. What matters next is whether OPEC can preserve quota discipline after May 1 and whether the UAE uses its added freedom to accelerate capacity growth into a market that is already short on confidence.