UAE exits OPEC, exposing Gulf rift over oil strategy, Iran policy, and market stability. The United Arab Emirates’ announcement to leave OPEC on May 1 marks more than a policy shift: It signals the unraveling of a long-eroding Gulf consensus on oil, economic strategy, and Iran. The announcement comes on the heels of the Gulf Creators event in Dubai on April 27. “Every Gulf state had its own policy of containment toward Iran, and all of those containment policies have failed,” senior Emirati