UAE Bristled at Saudis for Years Before Iran War Tipped Scales

The United Arab Emirates’ worsening rift with Saudi Arabia was at the heart of its shock decision to quit OPEC.

The rivalry has been building for years but it was the fallout from the US and Israel’s war on Iran that provided the opportunity for Tuesday’s announcement from the UAE, according to several people familiar with the matter. It was, one of them said, akin to ‘little brother’ no longer wanting to be tied down by ‘big brother.’