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Russell: The UAE dumping OPEC will not have the same effect on crude oil as expected.

It is generally believed that the United Arab Emirates' decision to withdraw from OPEC will weaken the influence of the producer group, and lead to a race for increased production. This could ultimately result in a sharp drop in crude oil prices.

The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has impacted the global crude oil markets in such a way that it is unlikely to produce the results expected.

The UAE's decision to leave the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries may have weakened the group. There may also be more crude produced by the UAE once or if the pre-war shipping volume is resumed through the Strait of Hormuz.

These two outcomes may not be the only ones, nor as certain as they seem.

First, let's ask how much damage OPEC has suffered.

It is a big blow to lose the fourth largest producer in the group. The UAE and Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of OPEC, are two exporters that can ramp up production quickly.

The 65-year old producer group has survived departures in the past and managed to remain relevant and influence the global crude oil supply and price.

Angola left the UAE in 2024. Qatar? in 2020. Ecuador again in 2020. Indonesia in 2016. Gabon in 1995. Gabon rejoined later. One could argue that none of these nations were as important as the UAE. However, Angola and Qatar would still be considered major losses.

It would take a brave analyst to believe that Saudi Arabia and OPEC+ members Russia are weakened by the loss of a producer who produced 12% of OPEC's production.

It will be interesting to see how Saudi Arabia and Russia react and if they decide to engage in a price and volume war.

This move is not intended to force the UAE into maintaining production discipline. This would be more aimed at driving high-cost producers out of the market. The primary target is U.S. Shale output.

The irony of the situation is that while U.S. president Donald Trump welcomed the UAE's decision to leave OPEC the move could lead to a price and volume war. The energy companies will be the ones to suffer.

The Republican Party and Trump may benefit politically from lower retail fuel prices, but this outcome shows that Trump is not as friendly to his country's energy sector as he claims.

The impact may depend on the response to a re-opened strait

The main question about the UAE's move is if it will lead to a price and volume war.

Before the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, which took place on February 28, the UAE shipped about 3.3 millions barrels of oil per day. This effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysts estimate that the UAE's production could rise quickly to 4.5m bpd, and then?hit 5.0m bpd over the medium-term.

This assumes, of course, that the Strait of Hormuz will be fully and sustainably opened at some point. However, this is not certain given the current conflict and the apparent lack of progress among the warring parties.

Even if the flow of crude oil returns to the pre-war levels, will the additional barrels supplied by the UAE be enough to cause a price correction?

Importers' tactics and the actions of other exporters are equally important.

Importers are attempting to replenish their depleted inventory as quickly as possible in anticipation of another Middle East war. Or, do they adopt a more measured approach, hoping for a moderated price?

China, as the world's largest crude importer has historically built up stockpiles during low price periods and cut imports when prices reach levels that its refiners deem too high.

China's massive stockpile of oil, estimated at 1.2 billion barrels, have not been used.

The U.S. will likely see its crude oil exports fall once the Strait of Hormuz has been fully opened, but it is not certain how quickly inventories will be rebuilt.

The question is also whether production can return to pre-war levels in the Middle East, considering that many fields were destroyed and facilities damaged by missiles and drones.

The Iran conflict has created a lot of variables. This means that it is difficult to predict how the UAE's withdrawal from OPEC would affect the group or the overall supply-demand balance.

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These are the views of the columnist, an author for.

(source: Reuters)