UAE-Saudi quota standoff (2021)
The UAE blocked an OPEC+ deal, demanding a higher production baseline that better reflected its expanded capacity. Talks collapsed publicly for days before a compromise raised Abu Dhabi's reference level. The dispute exposed a lasting rift over how barrels get divided.
OPEC+ patched together a deal that lifted several baselines, including the UAE's.
The grievance never fully healed and seeded the case for the 2026 exit.
The fight that nearly broke the group in 2021 is the same one that finally pulled the UAE out five years later.
