Explainer: UAE and Saudi Arabia’s spat over OPEC oil production

Saudi-led plan to extend a deal capping oil production triggers a dispute between two OPEC heavyweights.

In a rare public spat between the Gulf state allies, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have found themselves at loggerheads over an OPEC plan that seeks to extend a cap on oil production. Saudi Arabia has led a push in OPEC to raise output by some 2 million barrels per day from August to December 2021 but extend remaining cuts to the end of 2022. But the UAE pushed back on Sunday, saying a cut in output beyond the initial deadline of April 2022 would be “unfair to the UAE”.