Trump, Fox News praise UAE decision to leave Opec
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday indicated that he approved of the decision by the United Arab Emirates to leave the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) amid the fallout from the US-Israeli war on Iran.
"I think it's great. I know him very well. Mohamed. Very smart, and he probably maybe wants to go his own way," Trump said of UAE ruler Mohamed bin Zayed, often referred to by the acronym MBZ.
"That's a good thing. I think ultimately it's a good thing for getting the price of gas down, getting oil down, getting everything down. They have it all. He's a great leader, actually. So no, I'm okay. They're having some problems in Opec," he told reporters at the White House.
Outside of Opec, the UAE will be free to raise production, potentially leading to lower energy prices, which the Trump administration would welcome amid the war on Iran.
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