Trump says it's 'great' that UAE pulled out of OPEC

trump said wednesday he thinks it's "great" that the uae is leaving opec, predicting lower gas prices. he called uae president sheikh mohamed bin zayed al nahyan "very smart" for wanting to "go his own way." the uae surprised markets tuesday by announcing it will exit the cartel on may 1. it was opec's third-largest producer in february, behind saudi arabia and iraq. the energy ministry said leaving was in the national interest after reviewing production policy and capacity. the decision comes as the uae faces repeated iranian missile and drone attacks. tehran's closure of the strait of hormuz has also constrained uae oil exports. trump has imposed a retaliatory blockade of iranian ports, calling it "genius" and "100% foolproof." he said it will stay until iran "cries uncle."